Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Solar
by Slytherin Shaman
Summary: In 1996, three college students show up, knowing far more than they should. They bring the senshi a large and difficult problem to overcome - their past.
1. Pt 1 Age of Aries

Maybe it was bias that made him think it, but Endymion thought his betrothed is very pretty when she's relaxed, the way her dusk blue eyes twinkle with the first stars of the evening and her hair catches the sun and seems to glow with inner fire… Yes, Princess Dawn of the Sun Kingdom is attractive, indeed, but that was not why he was engaged to her.

Her parents had been at door since before his birth, begging and courting his parents to allow a marriage contract to be arranged. A merger of two autonomous kingdoms was never something to be approached lightly, so it had taken over ten years to just get a framework down on paper… To say nothing of the actual marriage contract the merger was dependent on.

"Endymion, are you sure it'll be all right for my cousin to be a bridesmaid? I know the rough relations Earth has with the Moon…" Princess Dawn asks as the pair make their way around the Earth Palace's grounds. Idly, she notes Gemini (her own twin sister) and Cancer keeping guard almost out of sight. She'd have to have a word about their lack of stealth with them later.

"I don't honestly see why it would be. Mother and Father haven't said anything against it," Endymion answers.

"I'll have to have my parents double check that with them… I just want this to go with no problems." Dawn's hand unconsciously finds his as they continue walking, a small smile finding its way to her face. She wasn't about to let anyone know it, but she felt this match was better than any other match she could've come up with on her own. She respects the man she was to marry, finding him a very able confidant, and they get along very well… She even felt it might be possible for her to love him once she knew him better.

"Then why are you considering her as a bridesmaid. I'm sure Princess Serenity is a lovely girl, but the last thing we need is an interplanetary incident ruining our wedding," Endymion points out shrewdly. It causes Dawn to bite her lip thoughtfully.

"It was just a suggestion from my uncle that I liked…" Dawn answered pensively, pausing before brightly going on, "It'd make for a nice show of unity. Think of it, Endymion, the Heirs of the three major Kingdoms in the system in the same room and celebrating."

"You're right. It's a brilliant idea. If we can pull it off, let's have her in the wedding party," Endymion responded enthusiastically. Dawn's face lights up with a smile at hearing the idea was brilliant. They continue walking on and planning their wedding, not minding the searching eyes of their following watchers.

* * *

Away from her Sun Kingdom husband and in the darkness of the new moon, Queen Serenity rages in a fury, her fist colliding forcibly with her vanity, making a crack in the mirror grow. The notes she'd found in Princess Arcadia Suisei's room are clenched in her white-knuckled hand. _The Sun Kingdom is planning a bloodless coup, are they? One that would take the whole system out of the Moon Kingdom's hands… Well… I'll just have to do something about that_. Serenity thinks, her hand caressing the Silver Moon Crystal.

* * *

Zoicite idly keeps an eye on his charge, Prince Endymion, with Princess Dawn as they make their daily rounds of the Earth Palace's gardens. The white-haired general relies mainly on Princess Dawn's guard to alert him if anything went wrong when he hears laughing voices in the hall beyond his balcony perch.

"Stop it, Kunzite-love... We'll be seen!" The familiar voice of Princess Estella of Gemini and the Sun laughingly chides the Head General of Endymion's Guard as Zoicite peers around the corner to find the pair near the door to Kunzite's quarters. Supposedly, Gemini was there to continue the coordinating that would be necessary for the guards' duties, but Zoicite had begun to suspect that the two commanders were spending more time on their project than was truly needed for the integration of both guards. It didn't hurt his suspicions when Kunzite would often be as anxious as Endymion was when Princesses Dawn and Estella were due to arrive.

"And what if I want the world to see, my love?" Kunzite retorts, his voice dark with desire and low so Zoicite almost couldn't hear.

"Patience, my prince... After the wedding... Then we can tell the world," Estella responds consolingly, caressing Kunzite's cheek loverly with an elegant hand. A ring of brilliant green stone on her finger catches Zoicite's eye as the couple turn into the room.

"Doesn't move slowly, does he?" Zoicite mutters with a smile, returning to his post.

* * *

"You're sure everyone's okay with this, Dawn? I mean, Earth…" Dawn's fair-haired cousin asks anxiously over the communicator.

"Absolutely! It's a brilliant idea to have you as a bridesmaid! And for that, you need to be with me while I'm planning." Dawn is outwardly enthusiastic about getting her cousin involved, but inwardly dreading it. Dawn's opinion of Princess Serenity was known anyone in the Corona Palace, and it was definitely derisive. Dawn did give her credit in the political arena, since most people were apt to underestimate the blonde princess, but the romanticist ditz act wore thin on Dawn's fiery temper very quickly.

"Does Mother know about this?" Serenity asks, her shrewd political bent peeking in by way of paranoia.

"Their Majesties, our Mothers, talked about it yesterday. Queen Serenity gave her hearty approval of the plan," Dawn reassures her cousin with a smile. The blonde's face broke into a broad grin.

"Wonderful, Dawn. I'd be delighted to be in the wedding party!" Serenity lowers her voice and continues in a conspiratorial whisper, "I've always wanted to see Earth from closer than the Palace."

Dawn had the faintest feeling that this was suddenly a very bad idea… but it was done. She'd see it through.

* * *

"Endymion, tell me what's wrong. Surely you trust me?" Dawn prods her fiancé as they took a break from the wedding plans with a walk in the gardens. It had been a trying two months for them both; rearranging the guest list to accommodate for Dawn's relatives from the Moon and their entourage, scrabbling to get Serenity's fittings for her bridesmaid dress up to speed on top of all the other fittings and arrangements to be made.

"Dawn… I trust you implicitly, you know that," Endymion responds wearily, taking her hand out of long habit. "I have something very important to say," he adds hesitantly, pulling her off the path to sit on a bench beneath a tree. Dawn's heart leaps to her throat, her hopes soaring and her stomach sinking at the same rapid pace. "Dawn… I consider you my best friend, and you've been more than I could've dreamed of from an arranged marriage." He pauses unsure of how to continue before he decides to just leap headfirst. "I've fallen in love, Dawn…"

A peel of laughter distracts the couple from the discussion at hand, bringing their attention to Serenity racing Endymion's sister, Princess Persephone, through the garden on another path, apparently having just been released from another fitting. Dawn catches the smile briefly light up Endymion's blue eyes out of the corner of her vision and all hope dies swiftly in her heart.

"But it's not with me." Her simple statement brings Endymion's attention back to the Sun Princess. Endymion wants nothing more to sooth the hurt he'd caused her, but she turns cold abruptly, as though her sun-like presence had gone behind a thick cloud. She stands, taking her hand out of his, never once looking directly at him. "It's alright. I understand. I won't hold you to the contract…" Dawn continues, managing to pull enough composure together to look Endymion in the eyes. He inwardly cringed at how cold her eyes had gone. "I need to leave," she adds, turning and walking quickly away.

"Dawn… I…" Endymion fumbles but Dawn doesn't acknowledge him, instead summoning the two zodiacs on guard (Capricorn and Sagittarius) and Serenity. The Moon Princess casts a remorseful glance in the direction of the Earth Prince, who catches it, before following her cousin.

* * *

"_How did she find out?!_" Queen Dawn rages at her brother over the communicator.

"I don't have any idea as to how, but when she did, she did something that made the alliance impossible…" King Twilight answers evenly.

"She didn't." Queen Dawn's face goes ashen with the implication. "She didn't use it –"

"Yes… I think she did," Twilight responds seriously. Dawn's face went hard with fury again.

"Watch her closely, brother. Make note of anything we can use later," Dawn orders evenly, only the fire flashing in her eyes giving away the rage she was feeling.

"Yes, sister."

She disconnects the channel and brings up another communications frequency, sighing with some resignation, but her resolve remains firm.

"What do _you_ want?" asks the corrupt queen, Beryl of the Dark Kingdom.

"Queen Beryl, greetings and salutations from the Sun Kingdom. I have a proposition for you," Dawn responds evenly.

"I'm listening," Beryl answers.

"The Sun Kingdom will lend it's assistance to your war against the Moon Kingdom, but we want custody of Mercury and half of Earth," Dawn proposes, a conspiratorial smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Intriguing idea, Queen Dawn… What do you propose for the Prince? I have my sights set on him." Beryl seems honestly interested but her last comment puts a small kink in Dawn's plans but she immediately creates another plan to deal with that kink.

"If you want him, you can have him, though the Sun Kingdom would want the first-born son for the Crown Princess' first-born daughter," Dawn replies, not mentioning that the Sun would likely turn on the Dark Kingdom as soon as they could gather the force needed for such an assault.

"That does sound like a very good agreement. I'll contact you after I've conferred with Queen Metallia, but I expect she will be in agreement with my opinion. Expect my signal in an Earth Standard hour," Beryl respondes.

"Wonderful. I look forward to working with you, Queen Beryl," Dawn says with a smile before disconnecting that channel and turning away from the communicator station to inform her generals of the current plans.

* * *

"Dawn! Come out already! You can't hide in there forever," Princess Estella yells as she pounds on her sister's door. A telepathic sob responds to Estella's scolding. Resorting to an old trick she had used when Queen Dawn was trying to break Dawn and herself up for specific training, Estella uses her identical twin status to override the locks on Dawn's door. Getting the door unlocked, she enters the Crown Princess's rooms and closes the doors behind her, allowing them to lock again.

"Dawn…" Estella repeats, quieter now that she wasn't on the other side of the door. "Stop hiding it… Everyone knows you're hurt… Seeing you try to hide it just proves how much," she says affectionately as she sits next to Dawn on her bed. Dawn's only acknowledgement of her sister's words is to shift slightly to lay her head on Estella's lap and to grip tightly at her sister's hand, still silently crying. The Gemini Gaurdian feels a ring biting into her hand and pries Dawn's hand away from hers long enough to twist the jade band around so the ruby rose wouldn't dig into her palm painfully. She sighs at the sight, knowing why Dawn kept the ring Endymion had given her for their engagement. Estella obliges her older sister and strokes Dawn's hair soothingly until the older girl falls asleep.

Estella stares at her hand, not long after Dawn's breathing had evened into a sleeping pattern, the contrast of the malachite and steel ring against her sister's red hair transfixing her with memories of her own lost love.

"Kunzite..." she breathes, bowing her head and only then allowing her own grief to spill over.

* * *

Prince Orion Helios, resplendent in the gold-trimmed ruby-red uniform of the Solar Army, advances on the Earth Palace with the rearguard of the youma army at his command. Green eyes blankly survey the aftermath of the attack he'd planned and ordered.

Bodies of those who'd resisted are dragged out of the palace and some of the more perverse youma take advantage of the fresh bodies. Most of the bodies the young prince recognizes as the royals and nobility that lived in the palace. The palace guards stand off to one side without a scratch on them and looking numb from shock, surrounded by a force field that some youma had put up and were maintaining. Atop the palace, a shimmering and opalescent shield ripples with physical and magical attacks that seems to do nothing to weaken the defense. Two forms are visible within the shield; Prince Endymion and Princess Diane of Cancer; but Orion did not truly see who was resisting.

"Commander," one of the higher ranking youma says, coming up to Orion's side and bowing slightly, "the palace has been taken, as you ordered, sir... But there's still some resistance from one of the royals on the roof."

"If I may interrupt?" a smooth voice asks. Kunzite, followed by the other three Generals of Earth, strode confidently through the masses of youma and, upon reaching the Sun Prince, all four go down on one knee. "The Shitennou turn themselves to the command of Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom and Queen Dawn of the Sun Kingdom."

Orion takes in the sight of the bowing generals, and glances again to the roof, where he sees the forms watching him.

"Put down the resistance," he orders, his voice hollow. Kunzite nods an acknowledgement as the Shitennou rose and the four turn to carry out the prince's order.

"Endymion, go!" Cancer says, turning from the sight of the man she knew as well as a brother to the prince she'd promised her princess she'd protect.

"Why are you protecting me?" Endymion demands, ignoring Cancer's plea.

"Because my princess ordered it! For the love of anything, Endymion, I can't hold this shield forever. Go!" Cancer pleads, cracks starting to spider along the shell-like defense and along her own armor, turning the opalescent armor and shield a dark sea blue.

"I won't go to to your princess," Endymion spits as the roof started to clear of youma, leaving it eerily quiet atop the palace.

Cancer sighs, resigned. "That doesn't matter to me... _or_ her. My order is to protect you..." She trails off as she notices the Shitennou advancing on her position, swords drawn. "Go where your heart takes you... But _go_." Endymion finally makes his way into the small escape shuttle within the shield's perimeter. He hesitates at the shuttle door, looking back at the Zodiac Guardian.

"Go, Endymion. GO-AH!" Her pleads are cut off by a cry of pain as all four of the Shitennou attack the shield, blasting through it with physical and magical attacks that converge on Cancer. Her armor turns dark blue and shatters, leaving only her fuku bloody and torn as she collapses with her shield. Endymion, for once immediately heeding Cancer's pleas, sets a course for the moon and makes his escape.

The Shitennou converge on the unconscious senshi, poised to finish her off when Orion arrives on the rooftop.

"Hold!" he commands, seeing Cancer for the first time as he comes out of his shocked state. The Shitennou halt in their tracks, and Orion rushes to Cancer's side, finding her still alive, but mortally wounded. He gathers Cancer up in his arms and carries the wounded Guardian quickly to his shuttle, which is on it's way to the Corona Palace with equal alacrity.

* * *

Estella runs with Orion through the corridors of the Corona Palace with an heavily sedated but stable Diane on the gurney between them. Way is made as Gemini orders, at the top of her voice, everyone out of their path to the main departure pad. Word had just come to the Commander of the Princess' Guard that the Queen's Guard intended to leave, and Gemini and Orion had resolved then to see Cancer on the departing ship.

When they arrive on the platform, the ship is already prepared to take off and Queen Azraelia of Aries is just about to disappear onboard.

"WAIT!" Gemini cries out, catching the attention of her mentor, Queen Aedalyn of Gemini. Estella and Orion renew their pace and cross the platform to the shuttle at a dead sprint with more than just their hands keeping the gurney from toppling and swerving from the speed.

"Estella, what's wrong?" Aedalyn asks her protege, anxiously looking at Diane's lax form.

"We know you're leaving but you've got to take Diane with you. Please!" Estella begs, backed up by Orion's agreeing nod.

"Of course, but don't _you_ need her, Estella?" Queen Phoebe of Cancer asks pointedly. Diane moves her hand to grasp at Estella's wrist and clutches Estella's jacket sleeve weakly, protesting Estella's intent to send her away even in her injured state. Estella looks down at her childhood friend with a sad smile.

"I can't, in good conscience, keep her here. If I do, it would kill her and I couldn't live with myself if that happened. I want her out of here, at least until she's better," Estella says vehemently. Phoebe and Aedalyn nod with her reasoning but that agreement turns to confusion at a new sight. Estella turns to find the rest of the Princess' Guard making their way onto the ship as well.

Estella moves quickly and uses the pretense of getting Diane on the ship to maneuver next to Pisces, one of the princesses on her own team.

"Where are you going, Narissa?" Estella asks the Princess of Pisces. Narissa, startled, whirls in her tracks to face the commander of the Princess' Guard.

"Estella! Well... It's obvious. We're going with the Queen's Guard," she responds as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Estella blinks, shocked.

"Why?" she queries weakly. Princess Resa of Aires and Princess Callisto of Taurus join the small gathering at the base of the ship's ramp, most of both guards having already boarded the ship.

"Well... The Queen's gone mad, the Princess doesn't leave her rooms for anything less than an order from the Queen and she's just as crazy as the Queen in her own way... We didn't sign on to risk our lives for a couple of insane royals and their plan to conquer the system," Resa responds coldly, and Callisto nods in agreement.

Estella shakes herself out of her shock and spits, "then what _did_ you sign on for, Resa?" but her question fell on deaf ears as Resa pulls Diane's gurney onto the ship with Callisto's assistance. Narissa remains, looking apologetic.

"Why don't you come with us, Estella?" she asks her commander and team leader. Estella scowls at Narissa as though the idea were repugnant.

"Go," Estella snaps as she turns her back on Narissa, making Narissa recoil away from her and scamper up the ramp, leaving Estella facing Aedalyn alone.

"I'm sorry, Estella..." Aedalyn says quietly, putting a hand on her student's shoulder. Estella sighs.

"I don't blame you... It was probably Azraelia's decision... and I can't even blame you all for agreeing with it... Mother has gone insane," Estella responds, equally quiet, only showing Aedalyn the uncertainty and emotional anguish she feels.

"But that's no excuse for them," Aedalyn replies, sensing the unspoken words in Estella's mind. Estella nods, not daring to voice her thoughts. Her queen gives her a kind smile. "The Queens are sorry we didn't pick a better court for you and your sister, Commander Gemini." Estella's eyes snap up from her feet at Aedalyn's use of her more formal title and, with those words, Aedalyn leaves Estella to board the ship.

Estella forces herself to watch as her second mother disappears into the hold and the door closes, quickly followed by a gust of wind and the ship takes off. When the ship was out of sight from the landing platform of the Corona Palace, Estella turns to find not only Orion but her sister waiting for her. Dawn's gaze continues to follow the ship as though she might watch it all the way to the Zodiac Court beyond the edge of the system, her face listless and posture sagging from the weight of her depression.

Estella puts an arm around Dawn which is matched by Orion as they turn to go back inside the palace. "Come on," she says, her voice betraying only a hint of her emotions, "let's get you somewhere safe."

* * *

"Brother, is Serenity watching you?" Dawn asks quietly over the communicator. Twilight shakes his head in the negative.

"Is she in the same room?" she asks again, and again, Twilight shakes his head.

"Wonderful, listen closely… All those notes you've been keeping on the Queen? And the dagger I sent you last month?" Queen Dawn waits for Twilight's acknowledgement before continuing. "Use. Them."

"They mean to do what?!" Beryl screeches at the general that had just reported in.

Jadeite cringes but repeats, "I heard one of the Solar Generals saying that the Sun Kingdom means to attack us as soon as the Moon has been defeated."

"Well… We'll just see about that. Attack the Sun as well. Target the generator. It's underneath the palace… Don't try to get through the palace to it. Come from the side," Beryl orders. Jadeite bows.

"Yes, milady."

* * *

Queen Serenity again is furious. Her plans to ruin the Sun Kingdom's scheme were going up in smoke. The Earth was being steadily taken over by Queen Metallia and Queen Beryl. Animosity towards the Golden Kingdom was growing with each report of another province that fell to the advancing Negaverse armies. Now, though, she had bigger things to worry about… Like the massing forces on Earth poised for attack on the Moon… And the fact that the Sun Kingdom's forces were among them.

She had the small consolation that if she was going to go out, at least she got this over the would-be rulers of the system.

"Senshi, would all but Mercury please report for a briefing," Serenity calls over the small personal communicators. Mercury was the weakest link against the sun, since Dainou Suisei and her family are known to have very good relations with (and a hefty reliance on) the Sun Kingdom.

"Yes, your Majesty," all chorus back.

_Good little puppets_, Serenity thinks as the Senshi guard for Princess Serenity filter into the room.

"I have some tragic news, girls… The Sun Kingdom has joined forces with Queen Beryl. An attack is imminent… Be on your guard at all times," Serenity orders firmly, failing to mention why the Sun Kingdom would've turned on the Moon. It would've been asked if Mercury had been in the meeting. Serenity delights in the enraged looks on Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter and Mars' faces. Saturn is ambivalent as always, and Venus nods only slightly hesitantly in acquiescence to Serenity's order… But Pluto looks at Serenity with thinly veiled hatred and it gives the Moon Queen pause.

"Dismissed," Serenity states simply with an equally dismissive gesture. "Except for you, Pluto."

Amidst the other senshi bowing and leaving, Pluto stands still, maintaining her hateful stare. When all had left, Serenity opens her mouth to speak but Pluto cuts her off quickly. "I don't wish to hear your excuses for meddling in time and fate. I'm returning to the Time Gate. My _duty _and _loyalty_ lies there, first and always foremost. And for meddling with time, you will not escape my judgement. The next time you use the Silver Crystal, you will die. It doesn't matter what you're using it for. You could use it to heal some poor beggar, but _you will die._"

"Good day, your _Majesty_," Pluto spits the honorific out like it left a sour taste in her mouth, "and good luck dealing with the upcoming battle. I wash my hands of it."

With that, the senshi of time turns on her heel and leaves the Queen's chambers, leaving the queen quite possibly more furious than she'd been before. She storms away to her private rooms, where she finds her husband dressed to the nines for the ball that would be taking place shortly. It didn't seem to be out of place until she notices the dagger that hangs at his hip.

"You've gone too far, Queen Serenity," Twilight says, piercing her with the fiercely determined look in his dusk blue eyes, as he draws the silvered dagger from its sheath and attacks.

* * *

The palace rocks, sending Queen Dawn staggering into the control panel for the outside surveillance. She watches as the Negaverse forces shoot down each escape vessel. She'd gotten the report from her General on Earth that the Dark Kingdom had found out the Sun Kingdom's plan to turn against them once they were weak from their victory against the Moon. She'd felt the connection to her brother get severed, that meant he'd died in his attempt to take down Queen Serenity.

This was not a year for plans going as intended.

Another explosion rocks the very foundations of the castle and Dawn sees immediately what had been hit… The generator. Biting back a curse, Dawn makes her way quickly to her rooms. There, she quickly finds what she'd been searching for, the red crystal glittering as the radium lights' illumination hit it. Her husband comes in at that moment and sees the crystal in her hands.

"Dawn…" Solaris says quietly, knowing that the Red Star Crystal is the only way to save anyone let alone their palace.

"We're doomed, Solaris…" Dawn responds. "We won't be able to get the generators fixed in time. Serenity's likely as doomed… That's my only consolation… I'll send the children where she's sending her daughter's court." Dawn waves her hand and a staff appears in it. The staff is five feet tall, topped with a large eight-point star, the symbol of the Sun Kingdom. The eight-point star had a hole in its center that looked like it could perfectly hold the Red Star Crystal. Dawn puts the crystal in the hole, where it clicks smoothly into place, and stares at it, concentrating on her children's' lives… Her heart skips a beat as she realizes that part of the palace had collapsed in one of the explosions, killing Dawn, Estella and Orion and their cat, Apollo. She refocuses herself quickly, her attention now fiercely focused on carefully packaging their memories and sending the four into the stream of souls coming from the Moon. _Let Serenity spend the effort of getting the children to the future…_ Dawn thinks as she withdrew her focus from the crystal.

Solaris catches Dawn as she staggers. She smiles weakly up at him. "Let's go out our own way, shall we, my love?"

"When have we done it any other way?" Solaris retorts with a smile.

A minute later, a small escape shuttle is released from the bottom side of the Corona Palace platform and it flies fast into the sun, allowing the sun to destroy them instead of the Dark Kingdom. Not long after that, the shields around the platform lose the residual power and the platform is incinerated in the high temperatures in the sun's corona.

* * *

_Nearly 2000 years in the future, May 27th, 1992… In a small home in Kyoto's Funai District…_

Nichiko Seino blinks awake the morning of her sixteenth birthday, disoriented from the dream of a past that seemed too real to be just a dream. Her cat, Apollo, meows at her, startling her.

"It's about time you woke up," Apollo says, quite clearly. Nichiko stares at the caramel-colored cat, as everything from the dream abruptly clicks into place.

"HIKARI! KISHI!"

"KISHI! NIKKO!"

"NIKKO! HIKARI!"

The Seino triplets yelled out each other's names at the same time, causing a cacophony that earned them a sound reprimand from their parents for waking them up.

* * *

Disclaimers: I do not, as I've long maintained, own Sailormoon or the premise for any of the characters that you will recognize from the anime. I do own Queen Dawn, King Solaris, King Twilight, Princess Dawn/Nichiko "Nikko" Seino, Princess Estella/Hikari Seino, Prince Orion/Kishi Seino, and the premise for the Sun Kingdom and why everything went to shit in the Silver Millennium (another thing I don't own).

Read, Review, and Enjoy the Story!  
~Slytherin Shaman


	2. Pt 2 Gemini

March 4th, 1994…

It's true that Nikko missed Kyōto, and that she'd been living in the new apartment for less than a month, but it was a place she and her siblings could honestly call their own. Their parents had not approved most of the changes they'd wanted to make when they woke up the morning of their sixteenth birthday with memories of another lifetime, so they'd done what the could at the time, but now they had what basically amounted to free reign. The airy atmosphere – with light colors, glass tables and silver lamps – had been just what the triplets had wanted.

She moves quietly around the apartment as she readies to leave, since Hikari and Kishi were still asleep. A grin on her face (from sheer pride in her own home), Nikko hoists her bag to her shoulder and leaves early for her college classes. Belatedly, the young woman checks her bag to make sure all the books she'd need that day were there, as well as the science fair project that had gotten her into Tōkyō Tech. Her chemistry professor had asked her to bring it in when he found out that she'd been the one to make it. Having all books and devices accounted for, she takes the steps lightly down to the first floor. Pushing the lobby doors open into the cool spring air, she takes a deep breath before taking off for Tōkyō Tech at an easy pace.

The foot traffic was still pretty light this early, having only junior high and high school students still walking to school at this hour, which allowed Nikko to take her time in walking to school.

"I'M LATE!I'MLATE!I'MLATE!I'MLATE!I'MLATE!I'M – " WHAM!

Completely blind-sided, Nikko crashes to the ground with a younger, pig-tailed girl on top of her, who pauses only a moment to see who she'd crashed into and gather up her books before she takes off running again, continuing her screaming chant of "I'm late!" Paranoid and the hair on the back of her neck rising on end, Nikko watched the girl as she gathered her own books back together. Sighing as she noticed her photosynthesis device missing and a broach that was definitely not hers (pink and moons being forbidden in the house since they woke up with their memories of the Silver Millennium) amidst the books, she tears off after the girl, hoping to catch up with her before she lost her sightline.

Thankfully for Nikko, the trail of scattered books and papers was easy to follow and she managed to catch up with the girl as she ran into another person, a young man, though this one seemed to be expecting – even welcoming – it. Nikko slows her pace to an easy jog as she approaches the pair, beginning to wonder what the girl had been late for if she could pause this long to talk with a guy. The man notices her first, looking away from the girl, and his gaze makes Nikko falter a moment, her heart skipping a beat. It suddenly makes sense, and she notices the power humming from the broach and why she'd gotten the tingling feeling when the girl had crashed into her. Taking a breath, Nikko steels herself and smiles; though she suspects it comes off as slightly shy.

"Excuse me for interrupting," Nikko says, holding out the broach to the girl, "but I think the young woman has something of mine and I believe this belongs to her." The girl gasps and snatches it quickly from Nikko's hand, affixing it to the front of her uniform. When Nikko didn't turn around and leave, the girl looks confused.

"Usa-ko, you might want to check your bag for anything that might belong to her," the man gently reminds her. Nikko could barely hide her wince at the endearment the man used. The girl looks slightly shame-faced as she rummages through her bag and finds Nikko's precious device.

Nikko takes a moment to check it over before allowing herself her own sigh of relief. She smiles and checks her watch. "Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I need to get to class," Nikko says calmly as she turns around and starts back the way she came. As she'd expected, the girl's shriek of "I'm late!" resumes and Nikko allows herself a small devious grin. Her small gloating session was cut short by realizing that the tingling in the back of her brain hadn't stopped. Idly, she looks behind her to find the man following her. She turns her attention quickly back to the sidewalk in front of her since the walkways were getting steadily more crowded, but also because her heart kept jumping at the sight of the man she was pretty sure…

She shakes her head, willing the thought away. '_He still loves the Moon Princess… Serenity did her job on Fate well…_' Nikko thinks, ignoring the stabbing pain she feels from the resigned thought.

She tries to ignore the feeling that he was still following her as well, but she couldn't shake that one away as easily since periodic glances backwards proved that, indeed, he still is following her. The why of that question, which tormented Nikko almost the entire time, is answered when he greets one of the Tōkyō Tech professors and starts discussing a class's lecture. Nikko breathes, the tingling feeling subsiding as she ducks into the chemistry building, and makes her way to the chemistry lecture room.

'_This is going to be a long year…_' Nikko thinks as she takes a seat in the middle of the room and pulls out her photosynthesis device to once more check that all the connections were working. She lets her mind blank out as she does so, trusting the buried memories from her life as Princess Dawn to make sure it was in working order.

It'd had been almost two years since she'd woken up on her birthday with a whole life's worth of memories revealed, and those two years had been packed with events that made the new knowledge difficult to conceal from Mr. and Mrs. Seino. Nikko, Hikari and Kishi still considered their parents as such, but the bond they'd already had as triplets was twice-fold now that they all remembered their past lives and had a consular in their cat, Apollo. Apollo had gone off to investigate when they arrived in Tōkyō, citing a large amount of lunar energy concentrated in the area, and had promised to be back before a week was out.

Nikko is brought out of her thoughts by the tingling sensation returning full force, making her look up from her device to see the man from earlier walking in with the Chemistry professor, Tanaka-sensei. She bites the inside of her cheek and turns her attention back to the photosynthesis device only to hear her name called.

"Seino-san, is that the device we discussed?" the professor asks loudly as more students start filtering in.

"Hai, sensei, it is," Nikko responds quickly, getting up and bringing the surprisingly small device with her. The man didn't take a seat as Nikko approaches, making her heart race from anxiety. When she does look at the man's face, she sees him trying to place her in his memory. She closes her eyes and focuses instead on the professor, ignoring the man as best she could, but that was made next to impossible by the professor himself.

"Seino-san, this is Chiba-san, a local third-year student. Chiba-san, this is Seino-san, a first-year student from Kyōto. She's the prodigy that I was telling you about last week," Professor Tanaka states in introduction, holding his hand out expectantly to Nikko for the device. "She fashioned the prototype of this ingenious device a year ago for a high school science project. What was it called? A photosynthesizer?"

Only acknowledging Chiba with a nod before she returns her full attention to Tanaka, Nikko answers, "Yes, sensei, photosynthesizer." She was trying very hard not to blush from the compliment but the close proximity of Chiba was making that very difficult to manage. "All it needs is some oxygen dihydride poured into the main chamber where there are hydrocarbons stored and sunlight, and it'll start making the diatomic oxygen and glucose. It pulls in the carbon dioxygen from the air around it through the intake valve on the top, next to the solar panel, and with the oxygen dihydride in the main container. The process starts when enough sunlight has hit the solar panel, creating the diatomic oxygen, which comes out through the valve on the front, and the twelve molarity aqueous glucose solution, which is deposited in the container on the port side." Explaining the workings of the photosynthesizer gives Nikko something to distract herself. Dropping into chemistry talk, her mind fills up with equations and memories of the experiments she'd done to get the numbers she'd spouted.

"Impressive, Seino-san," Chiba comments, causing Nikko's blush to return full force.

"It was really nothing… It wasn't even what I was trying to make…" Nikko defers quietly, her face fit to match her red hair.

"Purposefully made or not, Seino-san, this is the work of genius. Could I convince you to let me borrow this for some of my other lectures?" Tanaka asks.

Nikko allows that she could be convinced before begging pardon to take her seat, hoping to get away from Chiba. Her hopes are dashed as he follows her and takes the seat next to her. To her everlasting despair, he also had taken the lab that immediately followed the lecture on Monday and positioned himself to be her partner for the term.

"Are you trying to get away from me?" Chiba asks, noticing the way she'd shy away from him, turn bright red, or look exasperated. It was all Nikko could do to bite back the vehement 'Yes!' that was her immediate reaction.

"I might be more comfortable with it if I knew why you were going to such lengths to be around me," Nikko responds, hoping the acid didn't surface in her tone too much.

"Well… You seem like a reasonably intelligent young woman, since Tanaka-sensei rarely calls anyone's work inspired, let alone 'genius'. You're new and I'd like to get to know you," Chiba answers, causing Nikko to bite the inside of her cheek again. '_If he thought all that why couldn't he – No… Serenity messed with Fate itself… Unless someone tries to change it, he won't even imagine wanting anyone other than the Moon Princess…_' Nikko chides herself silently, knowing she shouldn't hate him for what the Moon Queen had done.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Nikko asks, having missed Chiba's last question in the depth of her thoughts.

"I said my name is Mamoru. What's yours?" Chiba repeats patiently.

"Nichiko… My name is Nichiko," Nikko responds, struggling to suppress her stammer and slight blush.

"A pleasure to meet you Seino Nichiko. Would you happen to have plans for after class? I know of a café that needs some patronage," Chiba Mamoru offers, sending Nikko's heart into more flutters and skips.

"I really shouldn't. My homework –" Nikko says, trying to avoid telling him that she had nothing better planned than curling up with a book at home.

"Was done by the time class ended. I watched you do it," Mamoru retorts with a grin. Nikko hastily bites down on a curse and smiles, nodding her assent.

'_This is going to be a _very_ long year…_' Nikko thinks, hoping she could find some way to get her resolve up.

* * *

Hikari didn't need the innate telepathy that the triplets shared to know that Nikko was not happy, very tense, and shades of emotions she'd only felt in memories. That was the first hint that something was more than a little amiss in Tōkyō, but then Apollo returned with his scouting report. All the Moon Kingdom's court was awake and fighting, and had won several major battles within the last two years. However, while they'd unlocked their senshi abilities out of necessity, they'd done nothing to recover their memories.

The Guardian of Gemini smirks slightly when Apollo informs both Kishi and herself about their lack of memories. '_Probably because the Moon Wench they worship as Queen Serenity did a find botch job on their memories,_' she allows herself to think with venom.

Hikari knew, though, that there were only two people in the Moon's court that could have her sister in fits of anxiety and biting her tongue… And she doubted that she'd be in contact with the Moon Princess for this long without a violent thought even crossing the back of her mind.

Hikari had no trouble finding the café where Nikko and (presumably) the reincarnation of Endymion are. She observes them quietly from a shadowed corner before taking a seat at the table on the other side of the divider. She orders something to drink while listening in on the conversation, gleaning that Endymion's name in this life is Chiba Mamoru and that he was a third-year student at Nikko's school. Hikari allows herself a wince and the predicament and knows exactly how Nikko must be feeling – tight, trying not to feel the way she had, trying not to remember the pain he caused. Merely thinking about it makes Hikari furious.

Hikari couldn't allow herself the luxury of high emotions, though, so she tamps down her feelings and listened as calmly as she could while Nikko got more and more tense from not being able to escape. After dealing with the check and grabbing a piece of paper, Hikari scribbles a hasty note and palms it into the cuff of her sleeve and gets up to make her presence known to her sister and the cause of her irritation.

"There you are Nikko-ane! I was expecting you home an hour ago!" Hikari calls from the café entrance and makes her way to her sister's table. Hikari would've had to be blind to not see the look of relief on her sister's face.

"I'm sorry, Hikari-imōto… I got hijacked by a classmate," Nikko responds with feigned apology. "Hikari-imōto, this is Chiba Mamoru. I met him in my chemistry class this morning. Chiba-san, this is my twin sister, Seino Hikari," Nikko says, standing up. Chiba stands as well and offers his hand to Hikari. She takes it with a feigned smile, slipping the note she'd written into his palm.

"Sorry to break up this little outing, but Kishi's expecting us," Hikari states as she releases his hand as quickly as was polite, turning to Nikko and ushering her towards the door.

"You're right. Sorry, Chiba-san. I'll see you in class," Nikko responds, taking her exit as it was offered. Hikari follows her and turns to look back at the door. She watches as he reads the note and meets his gaze when he looks up sharply. Hikari holds herself tall, her eyes sparking with the written threat.

_We know who you are, Endymion. You've caused enough harm to Princess Dawn. Leave her alone or you answer to me. Gemini_

Seeing at least recognition that she meant what she'd written, Hikari turns and follows Nikko down the stairs.

* * *

_Disclaimers: I do not, as I've long maintained, own Sailormoon or the premise for any of the characters that you will recognize from the anime. I do own Queen Dawn, King Solaris, King Twilight, Princess Dawn/Nichiko "Nikko" Seino, Princess Estella/Hikari Seino, Prince Orion/Kishi Seino, and the premise for the Sun Kingdom and why everything went to shit in the Silver Millennium (another thing I don't own)._

_Read, Review, and Enjoy the Story!   
Slytherin Shaman_


	3. Pt 3 Pluto in Virgo

Later the Same Day…

Ami hovers around the Tōkyō Tech campus after her biology primer course, looking for the one face she was sure to recognize. She spots him leaving the technology building and jogs to catch up with him. Mamoru has a pensive look on his face as Ami approaches, fussing with a piece of paper in his hands.

"Mamoru-san, the girls are getting together at Rei's in about half an hour. Since I was going to be here anyways, I was asked to see if you wanted to show up as well," Ami says, walking along with Mamoru. Mamoru glances again at the piece of paper, pondering the girls that the note pertained to, and nods to Ami.

"Yes… I'll come with you," Mamoru answers, pocketing the piece of paper before Ami could get a good look at it.

The walk to Hikawa Temple was spent in thoughtful silence. Mamoru spends the time trying to remember Princess Dawn and attempts to connect her to Seino Nikko, but only flashes of bright red hair, twinkling dusk blue eyes and a caring smile grace his recollection. It's the smile that sticks in his mind, making a long repressed part of him smile back and feel warm. He shakes his head, wondering who exactly Princess Dawn had been to him. The more he thinks about it, the more questions come to his mind. What kingdom had she been a princess of? How did he hurt her? Who was Gemini that she protects Princess Dawn?

The girls were already there when Mamoru and Ami arrive, though apparently not long enough for the customary sniping fests to have started. These meetings weren't a common occurrence since Galaxia's defeat, but they were just times where everyone caught up with what was going on with each other. Even more rare was when the outer senshi showed up, but today, even the outer senshi had shown up for one reason or another.

Setsuna Meiou, standing off to one side of the large discussion, sees Mamoru trying to be genuinely interested in what was going on, but she knew better than to believe that. She slowly makes her way around the edge of the gathering, her eyes constantly watching Mamoru's constant unfolding, reading, refolding and then repeating the whole cycle to a small piece of paper.

"How is university going for you, Mamoru-sama?" Setsuna asks quietly, but even that low-voiced query makes Mamoru jump slightly and quickly refold the letter.

"Classes have only just started, but it seems like it'll be a good year," Mamoru answers nonchalantly as he puts the folded paper back in his pocket.

"You seem quieter than usual," Setsuna comments dryly. Mamoru sighs and pulls the note out again and hands it to Setsuna.

"That's why…" Mamoru responds, nodding as Setsuna unfolds the note and reads.

Her eyes widen in surprise as she skims the short and to the point note. She shakes her head as she hands it back to him. "Best to do as she says. She's rather protective of her sister," Setsuna says with a slightly resigned tone.

"But who was she? What kingdom was she a princess of? Who is Gemini and why does she protect Dawn? I only remember Dawn smiling at me when I try to remember her… She smiled like Usagi does…" Mamoru asks persistently.

Setsuna only just manages to hide the mini-seizure she felt at hearing his equating Princess Dawn to Princess Serenity's incarnation. Friendliness is, thankfully, not a requirement of the duty Setsuna was bound to, or she would've been stripped before the fall of the Silver Millennium. '_Princess Serenity couldn't hold a candle to Princess Dawn…_' Setsuna thinks venomously, loathing the very comparison between the Sun Princess and Moon Princess. "I'm not the one you should be asking about her. I'm afraid I'm rather biased," she replies carefully, keeping the residual anger out of her voice.

"Then who should I talk to, Meiou-san?"

"I would suggest seeing if Mizuno-san has any files on her computer about her… Mercury _was_ best known for its historians," Setsuna suggests, allowing a small internal smile for an equally small victory. That would get Ami to unlock the file the old Queen of Mercury had stored on it about the Sun Kingdom, and maybe break some of the illusion on the senshi about Queen Serenity's character.

Mamoru takes her suggestion and thanks her, then moves to coax Ami away from the small cluster she was passively talking with.

"Ami-san, I need you to look up something on your computer for me," Mamoru says, sitting next to her on a bench that was a little removed from the gathering.

"Of course, Mamoru-san. I'll certainly try…" Ami responds.

"Could you do a search for anything relating to 'Princess Dawn' and 'Gemini'?" Mamoru asks.

Ami feels a small tingle of recognition to the names, but shrugs it off and enters the search criteria. Seeing the search working, she turns to Mamoru. "Why do you need to find information on 'Princess Dawn' and 'Gemini'?" she asks. In response, Mamoru hands her the note he'd received from Hikari Seino/Gemini. Ami quickly reads the short note and looks up sharply at Mamoru. "But how?"

"I don't know… The best I can figure is that Seino Hikari, or Gemini, has her memories and recognized me, though I don't understand how, and that Seino Nichiko is Princess Dawn… But I don't remember either of them…"

"Gemini says you hurt Princess Dawn… Do you have any idea how that might've happened?"

"None whatsoever. It's like she didn't exist. All I remember is a vague idea of what she looked like and her smile…" Mamoru trails off thoughtfully, the smile of 'Princess Dawn' truly tormenting him from it similarity to Usagi's when she smiled at him.

Ami opens her mouth, undoubtedly to ask why mentioning Princess Dawn's smile had made him trail off, but her computer beeps, signaling that it had completed the search. "Oh! The search is done!" she says, picking up her mini-computer and opening the search results. After a few taps, she finds only one file matched the search criteria. "It looks like 'Princess Dawn' and 'Gemini' had something to do with the Sun Kingdom… I've never heard of the Sun Kingdom… I wonder how this – NANDEYO?!"

The exclamation from the usually quiet senshi of Mercury garners the attention of all present. All inquiries to what had caused the outburst are ignored as Ami types furiously at her mini-computer. "This is ridiculous! It's locked_ and _encrypted! How does a folder I never knew about get _locked_ and _encrypted_?!" she rants, every word clearly heard.

"What folder?" Setsuna asks. Minako looks sharply at the enigmatic guardian of time, sensing the feigned ignorance in Setsuna's voice.

Ami also looks up from her furious tapping but isn't suspicious. "I was looking for anything on 'Princess Dawn' and 'Gemini'. I wasn't expecting anything to come up since we've never encountered them, but a folder on the Sun Kingdom came up but it's locked…"

"The _Sun Kingdom_?" Haruka asks, spitting.

"What do you want to know about _them_ for?" Michiru adds in a similar tone.

"What do you know about the Sun Kingdom?" Ami asks, ignoring their questions for the time being.

"Traitors, the lot of them," Haruka spits. "What more do you need to know?" The fierce look on Michiru's face mirrors Haruka's sentiments.

"She was looking because I asked her to," Mamoru says, intervening. "I had the… pleasure… of meeting the reincarnations of Princess Dawn and her sister-guardian, Gemini. Apparently, they're tied to the Sun Kingdom somehow."

"Where?" Haruka asks, an eagerly vengeful look in her eyes. "Who are they? I'll – "

"Tenou-san!" Setsuna snaps, glaring at Haruka. Haruka glares back but also doesn't continue. Mamoru looks between the two women in curious confusion.

"I wanted to know about them because I apparently caused some harm to Princess Dawn – "

"She probably deserved it…" Michiru mutters, earning her own glare from Setsuna.

" – and I don't remember her, to say nothing of Gemini, except for her smile," Mamoru continues, ignoring Michiru's interruption for the most part.

"Just as well then… Who needs those backstabbing–" Haruka starts again, only to be cut off by another sharp "Tenou-san!" from Setsuna.

"War… No… Sun… No… Sol… No… Traitor… No…" Ami's quiet mutterings resound like bells in the silence that falls after Setsuna's curt calling of Haruka to order.

"Why are you defending them!?" Haruka demands, turning on Setsuna. "They betrayed us! They don't deserve protection from _any of us._"

"Um… How did the Sun Kingdom betray us?" Usagi asks. Haruka opens her mouth to answer, but is cut short by Setsuna.

"Don't even try to explain it, Haruka-san. Someone has to speak for them here and it might as well be me, since _I was there_," she starts, glaring at Haruka again. Haruka backs down this time. "Thank you… Now… Ages before the Silver Millennium, the foundling kingdoms of the Sun, Moon and Earth all had hereditary gems that were great in power. This kept the other kingdoms from influencing the royal families with the power to change Fate that each crystal possessed. The Moon Kingdom, as we know, possessed the Silver Moon Crystal that had the power to cleanse anything. From poison in food or drink to taint in a soul, the Silver Moon Crystal could do it. The Sun Kingdom – slow to plan, slower to act, and unnaturally quick to anger – held the power of the Red Star Crystal, granting them powers of the mind such as telepathy and telekinesis. Last, the Earth Kingdom had the Black Earth Crystal. This crystal allowed the royal family some control over the elements, getting lightning to strike where they could harvest its power, floods where the ground was parched… Unfortunately, it was stolen around the start of the Silver Millennium.

"The Sun Kingdom initially had very good relations with the Moon Kingdom. They supplied Mercury with equipment and a special generator that allowed life to flourish in a small area of the barren world they called home. Queen Dawn's brother, Twilight, was married to Queen Serenity. Please let me finish before you ask questions, Usagi-sama," Setsuna stops, seeing Usagi about to ask a question. Usagi's mouth snaps shut and she nods for Setsuna to continue.

"The Sun Kingdom also had very good relations with Earth, and had wanted a merger of the two kingdoms, with an eye towards the eventual unification of the entire system under one crown. However, such a merger required a merger of the royal families, so the whole thing was contingent on an arranged marriage. Every Queen of the Sun had been at the Earth King for such a contract for several generations… And Prince Endymion's father was the one who finally agreed to it. Please, Usagi-sama! I will explain when I'm done," Setsuna stops again for the same reason, with the same result and she continues on.

"The contract was more than twenty years in the making and the wedding was only weeks away. Princess Serenity was even going to be one of Princess Dawn's bridesmaids. However, Princess Dawn called it off because she refused to make Prince Endymion marry her when he loved someone else." Setsuna pauses, looking at Mamoru and Usagi, who had moved to stand next to him sometime after her last attempt to ask a question.

Usagi takes that pause to interrupt with, "But we were fated to be together…"

Setsuna snorts derisively, "A fate that was tainted and tampered with. Queen Dawn had suspicions about what had happened to destroy what had appeared to be a solid and amicable relationship, so when she went to Earth to clean up the paperwork, she discovered that the Black Earth Crystal was not there, leaving the royal family of Earth defenseless against the powers of the Silver Moon and Red Star Crystals. Upon her hostile reception, her fears were confirmed; they'd been affected by the power of one of the Crystals."

"It was probably them that did it…" Michiru says with a sneer.

"Because Queen Dawn, the only one who could handle the Red Star Crystal capably, would _want_ the alliance that her family had tried to arrange for generations to go up in smoke. Of course, Queen Dawn would _want_ to go through all the trouble of arranging a marriage for her daughter only to have it fall apart when Endymion proclaimed his love for Serenity, breaking Princess Dawn's heart and spirit in one blow. Yes, it all makes so much _sense_ that the architect of a plan for the system's peaceful unification would do everything in her power to _ruin_ it… Yes, Michiru-san, Queen Dawn is the _obvious_ culprit," Setsuna says, sneering back at Michiru, who had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.

Silence reigns in the gathering after Setsuna's sarcastic tirade. Even Ami had stopped trying to hack her own computer to listen as Setsuna loosed her venom. Setsuna breathes heavily, part of her relieved for having finally let out her opinion and the rest of her glad that she'd not directly stated what Queen Serenity had done.

"You mean… Serenity did it?" Ami asks in a very small voice.

Setsuna nods, "And, because of that, Queen Dawn offered her assistance to Queens Beryl and Metallia against the Moon Kingdom with the provision that the Sun Kingdom would take custody of Mercury and half of Earth upon victory. The Sun Kingdom's senshi, the Zodiac Guard – save for Gemini, Princess Dawn's sister Estella – abandoned them. But in her anger, Queen Dawn also ordered her generals to turn on Beryl and Metallia as soon as the battle was over so that they would get the unification they'd worked for… Beryl discovered this shortly before the battle on the Moon and sent an attack force against the Sun as well… The generator that allowed them to have their palace platform in the sun's corona was one of the first things hit. After ensuring her children's reincarnation, the platform was incinerated. I can only guess that, since she didn't immediately die, she placed her trust in Queen Serenity to get her children to this time and place."

Ami looks at her mini-computer thoughtfully, processing the new information, the cursor in the password field flashing benignly from the screen. '_It can't hurt to try it… "_Betrayal"_…_'

"At least I know how I hurt Dawn…" Mamoru says, also thoughtful. "That explains why Nichiko was so wary of me… and why Hikari was so forceful about staying away from Nichiko."

"Wary? Forceful?" Usagi asks.

"Nichiko's in my third-year Chemistry class and she was trying to get away from me all morning. There was something familiar about her that I wanted to get to know her so I could figure it out what it was. I dragged her to Crown Café after class and she obviously wanted to get away… Now, I'm supposed to stay away from Nichiko or Hikari will have me answer for it… With the whole story out like that, it makes more sense… Can you imagine how protective of you one of the senshi would be if the rest left you?"

Usagi could only imagine such a circumstance since she'd had four companions and guardians by the time it was discovered she was the Princess they'd been looking for.

"Hey! I got the files open!" Ami exclaims excitedly, her mini-computer having put her through all sorts of identification hoops after finding the right password. Without waiting to be asked, she starts reading:

"_Year Nine-Hundred-Eighty-Six of the Silver Millennium – Two C, Nine-Tenths of Three R_

"_Terran-Lunar-Solar Calendar: Twenty-First Day of the Sixth Month_

"_Transmissions in the Corona Palace Platform indicate success, at last, for initiating the Solar Kingdom's plan to peacefully unite the entire system under one crown. The Helios dynasty has played their game carefully, making sure to not turn on any one kingdom, even the ones farthest from their immediate influence such as Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The Queens have married a man of different planetary origin every time, and sons are always married advantageously, the last son marrying Queen Serenity herself! At last, their soon-to-be-expected Crown Princess will be betrothed to the Crown Prince of Earth, Endymion, who is not a year old yet. I expect that Crown Princess Dawn will be on her way shortly._

_Papers have begun being drawn up to orchestrate the joining of the two Kingdoms. I suspect that the Marriage portion of the contract will be one of the last parts to be filled in, since I'm sure Queen Dawn will want to make sure that her daughter will at least like Crown Prince Endymion._

"_Year Nine-Hundred-and-Eighty-Seven of the Silver Millennium – Two C, One-Half of Two R_

"_Terran-Lunar-Solar Calendar: Twenty-Seventh Day of the Fifth Month_

"_An emissary was dispatched to Earth nineteen hours ago, when Queen Dawn went into labor. Sources indicate that King Demitrius and his wife, Queen Chloe, are pleased that the Crown Princess and Crown Prince will be so close in age._

"_Powers be with Queen Dawn! She has given birth to three healthy, if small and premature, children named Dawn, Estella and Orion, in order of birth respectively. The two girls are identical from all reports, with their blue eyes being the only difference other than gender with their green-eyed brother. Reports from the Palace Platform say that Queen Dawn is alive, if greatly weakened. I will call on my brother, King Solaris, in the next T-L-S month, as I suspect he will have his hands full with the triplets and a weakened wife._

"_Aedalyn, Gemini of the Queen's Guard, has expressed a wish to name Princess Estella as her successor to the Princess' Guard. The Zodiac Guardians aren't expected to pick successors so soon after the Crown Princess' birth, but Aedalyn apparently finds it rather appropriate to name the Crown Princess' twin sister as the successor to the Twins Zodiac._"

Ami taps a button a few times after reading the first two entries, "It goes on like that for a while, various reports about the growth of the royal children, supplies and engineers that the sun sent to Mercury to maintain the generators…" She trails off as she continues scanning down the entries that the Queen of Mercury had made during their lifetimes in the Silver Millennium, making note of all of them at some point or another. Scarcely a word was breathed while she read, sometimes quoting passages aloud.

"_Year One-Thousand-and-Three of the Silver Millennium – Four C, Four-Fifths of Six R_

"_Terran-Lunar-Solar Calendar: Twelfth Day of the Twelfth Month_

"_Their Royal Highnesses have announced the date! It is to be seven Terran months exactly from today. From what I understand, plans have been underway since the middle of Earth's autumn season, but they apparently decided to hold off the official announcement until now._

_My dear brother, Solaris, is bothered by Queen Serenity's behavior, and to tell the truth of it, based on what he's told me Twilight has observed in her, I'm rather concerned myself. Thinking back on some of my interactions with her at court, it does fit with the reports from Solaris and Twilight. Her mood shifts from cheerful to secretive, benevolent to malicious and back with the cycle of the moon around the earth. The truly disturbing reports come from when the moon is new in earth's skies._

_I fear what she would do if she were to discover Queen Dawn's reasons for marrying Princess Dawn to Prince Endymion in one of these dark phases._"

"What does she mean by _that_?!" Usagi demands loudly, breaking the spell that held the senshi.

"Cycles… It was a cycle," Hotaru says, gaining immediate attention even with the quiet tone she uses. "Queen Serenity was bound to the moon, and thus, the cyclical phases of the moon. The darker the moon became on Earth, the darker Her Majesty's mind became. It was so for the first Queen, so it was at the end," she explains in her eerie, trance-like voice, her violet eyes piercing Usagi's.

Raising her hand to stop further discussion, Minako says, "Okay… Before anyone else throws something onto the pile of rewriting what we know of our personal histories, I'm going home and letting this all sink in overnight. We can figure out what to do about Gemini if she becomes a problem." She grabs her bag from under one of the benches and heads off with a "Jya ne!" called over her shoulder.

By some unspoken agreement, Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru and Setsuna follow after Minako. Their parting was tense, like each of them were waiting for an explosion to happen. Makoto leaves as well, looking thoroughly conflicted.

"But –" Usagi starts, confused and wanting answers desperately.

"Usagi-chan," Rei cuts her off. "Minako is right. Go home and give it the night to sink in. Ami will probably have finished reading her files tomorrow. Ask questions then," she says. It was clear that she would be meditating on the new history herself, searching for the truth in what could be a mass of lies and corruption. Usagi nods hesitantly, glad that Rei's expression was sympathetic instead of hostile or derogatory.

"I'll walk with you and Ami down the steps," Mamoru adds, smiling at Usagi. This seems to sell the idea to Usagi so her hesitance disappears in a flash. The two girls remaining grab their things, Ami still avidly tapping through the files, and head their separate ways home.

* * *

Nikko, Hikari and Kishi exit the grocery store, Kishi's arms loaded down with groceries, the end of their exploration of the city to find and rate the food places and convenience shops in their neighborhood. They turn towards their apartment building and easily walk home.

Hikari glances sidelong at Nikko, worried that she'd not cheered up since being rescued from the Crown Café earlier. She had known that meeting Endymion's reincarnation would hit Nikko hard, but Hikari had honestly not suspected how hard. Oh she tried to shrug it off and act normally, but it hovers around her, and to Hikari, the preoccupation was as thick as a wall surrounding her twin.

They pass another apartment building and Nikko halts abruptly, almost causing Kishi to crash into her and drop the groceries.

"Nikko-ane, what's – " Hikari asks as she follows her sister's gaze. Mamoru was not a hundred feet away and had just rounded the corner, and had also stopped at the sight of the trio. Hikari shifts her weight to take a step forward but Nikko puts her arm out in front of her, stopping her. "But –" Hikari starts, questioning Nikko. She shakes her head at Hikari, silencing her protests.

Without warning, Mamoru whirls around as though hearing a shout only he could hear, Nikko only a split moment behind in mimicking him. Mamoru races back the way he came.

"We're needed," Nikko states simply before starting to follow.

"Let them take care of themselves. They don't need us," Hikari snaps, grabbing Nikko's arm to stop her. Nikko turns on Hikari, scaring the younger girl with the fierce look in her eyes. Nikko's hair flares out slightly, fanned by a wind that wasn't there.

"We. Are. Needed." All protests died in Hikari's throat as the tone in Nikko's voice commanded her obedience. "Kishi, get the food home. You can't really help us," Nikko orders before turning back and racing after Mamoru. Hikari wastes no time in following her this time.

* * *

_Disclaimers: I do not, as I've long maintained, own Sailormoon or the premise for any of the characters that you will recognize from the anime. I do own Queen Dawn, King Solaris, King Twilight, Princess Dawn/Nichiko "Nikko" Seino, Princess Estella/Hikari Seino/Gemini, Prince Orion/Kishi Seino, Apollo, the premise for the Sun Kingdom and why everything went to shit in the Silver Millennium (another thing I don't own), the files that the old Queen of Mercury put on Ami Mizuno's computer (someone and something I don't own as well) and Setsuna's version of history (though not the character Setsuna Meiou/Sailorpluto), the Red Star Crystal and the Black Earth Crystal. _

_Read, Review, and Enjoy the Story! __  
Slytherin Shaman_


	4. Pt 4 Mars Rising

When Nikko and Hikari arrive at the scene of the fight, the lunar senshi were entirely on the defensive and Mamoru was nowhere

When Nikko and Hikari arrive at the scene of the fight, the lunar senshi were entirely on the defensive and Mamoru was nowhere to be found, even if Nikko was sure he was there. Any attack the senshi threw at the shadowy figure was defused or redirected, playing havoc on any coordinated effort the senshi try.

"Transform, but wait until my signal to get involved," Nikko orders, tugging a gold necklace out from her shirt. Hikari nods in acknowledgement, pulling a similar necklace from her own collar. Nikko's necklace sports a small gold pendant in the shape of an eight-rayed star with a round red crystal set in the center. Hikari's matching chain has a gold Gemini symbol outlined with white enamel with a round cabochon emerald on one side and a pearl on the other side.

"Oh good, you did get my message," Apollo says, the caramel-colored cat easily finding his wards in their hidden vantage point.

"What message, Apollo?" Nikko asks, confused. Apollo looks sharply at Nikko but shakes it off quickly.

"Never mind. Do you have a plan?" Apollo asks, taking a silent survey of the battle.

"We were just about to transform and watch for when we're needed. Beyond that, there's no plan," Nikko answers. Hikari confirms with a curt nod.

"All right girls. You should know what you're doing by now. Ganbatte," Apollo says before darting away. Nikko and Hikari know he had gone to find another vantage point farther away so he wouldn't be in immediate danger. The two girls check their surroundings to ensure their privacy and exchange a look. By unspoken coordination, they simultaneously raise their right hands to the sky.

"Star Crystal Power –" Nikko calls out, the red crystal in her necklace glowing brilliantly.

"Gemini Guardian Power –" Hikari calls at the same time, the three charms on her necklace lighting up but not nearly as luminous as the crystal in Nikko's necklace.

"MAKE UP!"

Apollo, who had not gotten as far away as the girls had thought, closes his eyes against the bright illumination. Looking back once the light stopped dancing from behind his eyelids, he sees the girls in their senshi forms and then darts to the vantage point he had picked as soon as he'd seen the battlefield.

* * *

From his vantage point atop a nearby fire escape, Tuxedo Kamen is bothered by his inability to watch the battle. Thoughts of Princess Dawn trample any other thoughts or observations.

"_Stop thinking of me, Endymion. It will do you no good,_" says a soft and foreign voice in his head. He looks around, searching for the source of the voice he recognized as Nichiko's… Or was it Dawn's?

"_Yamete, Endymion!_" the voice persists. "_Protect your Princess!"_

He shakes his head, willing everything but the battle away, but no sooner was his head cleared than the memories form the Silver Millennium return to plague him. He manages to push through them to watch.

It still was not going well, but it hadn't gotten to the point where he would step in. He wonders idly if he would have to, with all the senshi there, but with most of the senshi's attacks being deflected or defused, he probably would. Only Pluto, Venus and Moon's attacks were getting through with any effect, and very little at that.

The senshi that had been rendered useless by the antagonist's ability to avoid or control their attacks were starting to rally when his vision blurs over.

_The Sun shone coldly as Endymion walked through snow-covered gardens with the red-haired Princess Dawn at his side. They took their rest under a barren tree on their favorite bench._

"_Do you ever have any regrets, Dawn?" he asked her. "About this whole arranged marriage idea?"_

_She smiled up at him, her dusk-blue eyes twinkling merrily. "Oh as long as you don't, I'm sure I won't," she answered coyly._

"_ENDYMION!_" the voice shouts, bringing him out of the memory that had forced its way into dominance.

Simultaneously, he hears the shouts of the senshi yelling for Moon to move and the trademark shriek of Moon.

"SUN! WAIT!" an unknown voice shouts. Tuxedo Kamen watches, frozen, as the accumulated attacks the senshi had thrown at the monster races towards Moon. A blur of red hair and yellow fuku puts itself between the attack and Moon.

Throwing her hands over head, the unknown senshi shouts, "CORONA SHIELD!" as she brings her arms down in mirrored arcs, forming a dome of blazing light around herself and Moon.

A senshi with hair the same vibrant shade of red in another yellow fuku also runs, unnaturally fast, behind the dome. After the attack washes over the shield that the first stranger had thrown up, it collapses to reveal the first senshi still protectively – though now crouching – in front of Moon, a glowing circle lingering around the two of them.

The first senshi's fuku is a pale yellow with autumnal blue bows, and her tiara and choker sparkle gold. Her red hair is pulled into a style similar to Pluto's and, in her crouch, falls in pools on the ground around her yellow-trimmed white boots.

The second senshi, clad in golden yellow with white bows, looks far less friendly than the one that had protected Moon. The white inlay of the symbol of Gemini is offset by the gold of her tiara, and her blue eyes were like a cold winter sky just before dark fell. Her hair is pulled away from her face with a yellow bow, falling in a braid to the tops of her white-edged yellow boots.

The pair exchanges a glance before turning their attention back to their attacker.

"Star Light Lance!" shouts the cold senshi in orange, a beam of light racing towards the youma.

"Gravity Spin!" shouts Sun, the circle of light moving to encircle the youma as the beam of light hit him, causing it to stagger for enough time for the other senshi to get their attacks off and actually have them do something.

The shadows fall away from the figure, revealing a man. That image disappeared quickly, replaced by what could only be called a demon. Standing at nine feet tall, the muscular creature was every bit of the typical depiction of Satan. Wearing only a pair of loose dark blue pants, the crimson skin and barbed, whip-like tail were obvious to all. The feet were indeed cloven, with three talons extending forward from each, while the hairless head was covered in a circular ring of horns, the color of bloodstained bone. "So both of the other two are here. I thought it would be easier to take the Silver Crystal from a weak teenager, but, instead, I find the Moon-Bitch herself. And Lady Sun as well. Did they teach you to fear me, so long ago? I doubt it. My name is Rizad, Moon-Bitch, and that Crystal is rightfully mine – and I will not be denied." And with that, Rizad vanishes in a swirl of shadows.

Rising from her defensive crouch, Sun turns and, with only a flash of eye contact with Gemini, leaves, boots clicking softly in sync with each other's steps. Moon rises from where she'd fallen in a daze of sorts and watches as they leave without a word.

"What the fuck?! Why'd you traitors protect the Moon Princess?" Uranus demands, being the nearest. Gemini whirls on her as Sun stops.

"Believe me, I don't give a flying fuck about your underhanded, backstab–" Gemini starts.

"_GEMINI!_" Sun snaps sharply, her manner icing over to that of a commander. Gemini bites back the rest of her retort obediently and the pair quickly disappears into a blind alley and they vanish despite close pursuit by Uranus and Neptune.

Tuxedo Kamen leaps away, his mind racing. He was thankful to the two Solar senshi but their intervention was puzzling. He wonders if they know of Serenity's supposed meddling with fate – or maybe Sun was simply watching over her younger once-cousin. More troubling, though, is the fact that the memories that had been so clear as to block out everything else only moments ago were nothing more than a memory of a memory now – vanished the moment Rizad had.

* * *

"You could've gotten yourself killed," Hikari states, berating her sister as she brushes out Nikko's hair for the night as they sit at Nikko's vanity in their room.

"Are you putting my life over hers, imōto?" Nikko asks coldly, looking at her sister's reflection in the mirror.

"Damn right, I am. Serenity has her own senshi. Leave them to save their moon-brained–"

"Hikari," Nikko states, bringing Hikari up sharply. "I told you before, I'm not doing it for any of them; not for Serenity, not for Arcadia, not for anyone in the Lunar Court," Nikko continues, sadness mixed with resolve in her blue eyes.

"I know you're doing it for _him_. Damn it, onē-hime… You'll destroy yourself like this. I can't protect you from that…" Hikari's brushing slows and stops and she sets the brush on the vanity top and wraps her arms around Nikko, still maintaining eye contact with the mirror. Hikari's eyes express concern to Nikko vicariously in the mirror. "I'd do anything to see you not sacrifice everything for Endymion."

"What else can I do, imōto?" Nikko asks softly, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"Stay away from him. I know you have a class with him but that doesn't mean you have to be anything more than classmates. The last thing we need is a repeat of the Silver Millennium," Hikari pleads, holding Nikko like she'd disappear if Hikari let go.

"Estella… If death didn't end this then, how can I hope to stop lov–" Nikko's voice cracks and dies, impaling itself on the word. " – How can I stop now, imōto-koi?"

Hikari's eyes mirror Nikko's sadness before her face disappears into Nikko's shoulder, her arms still wrapped possessively around her sister.

There was a soft knock at the door and Kishi peeks into the girls' room. "Is this a private party or can us poor males join?"

Hikari and Nikko give a sniff of response, and Kishi and Apollo are allowed entry. Hikari picks up the brush and resumes brushing Nikko's hair.

"So… I hear that the Sun Kingdom's formerly best kept secret actually worked rather well…" Kishi prompts, sitting on the bed nearest his sisters. Apollo leaps easily to the vanity top where he paces.

Nikko's eyes lighten with a small, self-satisfied smile that spreads infectiously to Hikari. "Yes… It was quite a trip… I know it wasn't the first time I've used the heshin, but the attacks and shield were…"

"Practically necessary with her throwing herself in front of attacks," Hikari interrupts playfully. Nikko scowls up at Hikari, but its effect is lost because of the smile dancing around her eyes.

"She did extremely well for her first time in combat," Apollo states proudly as he knew Gemini couldn't boast the same, perching on the edge of the vanity.

"I need to figure out a way for us to stay in contact when you two go off that won't involve the distraction our usual method causes," Kishi comments. "I would've loved to see Nikko in action."

"Trying to get herself killed, more like…" Hikari mutters.

"Now wait a minute," Nikko starts but is cut off by Hikari.

"I'm sorry. I have a good reason for saying that this time. You didn't know what you could do going into that fight, and I certainly didn't know… Even if it was someone _worth_ saving –"

"Like Arcadia," Kishi adds helpfully.

"Like Arcadia, I still had no idea that you had that shield, or that the shield would be as effective as it was," Hikari finishes as she pulls the brush smoothly through the last length of Nikko's hair. Nikko sighs, accepting the criticism with what grace she had left.

"I guess," Nikko concedes with a sigh. "Just try to trust me. I know I'm new to this and we don't know what I can do, but there will be times when there isn't time to tell you what I'm doing." Hikari accepts this with a nod as she moves to sit at her own vanity.

"So," Hikari starts, beginning to unbraid her hair, "what do we do about Endymion?" Nikko, who had started to put her hair into a nightcap, looks at Hikari with a sharply questioning look. "Well, you obviously want to help him, even though you can't. Serenity obviously doesn't know how to use the Silver Crystal because she hasn't gotten her own or her senshi's memories back yet, and it's doubtful that she'd do anything about it even if she could, given how she's benefiting from the arrangement. We could try to find the Earth Crystal, but we'd need Endymion's help for that… We'd need to convince him that we want to help for no other reason than to help him regain his birthright," Hikari explains as she loosely rebraids her hair.

"Why do we need to convince him?" Kishi asks.

"Yes, why? Hell, I can't get him to leave me alone at school…" Nikko adds. Hikari blushes and Nikko looks horrified. "You didn't…" she asks more than states, staring at her younger sister.

"You were upset! And that made me upset! So… I… Well… Ithreatenedhimthatifhecamenearyouagain,he'dhavetoanswertome…" Hikari responds, her blush going from pink to a red that matches her hair, only visible because of the mirror that she seemed to have forgotten was right in front of her.

"What?" Nikko asks, her voice a study in deadly quiet anger.

* * *

_Disclaimers: First of all, kudos-cookies continue to go to my brother (who will hence be known as Jinx) for having helped me rewrite my concept of Sailorsun and the Sun Kingdom. Freaking massive amounts of kudos-cookies (the awesome, pizza-sized chocolate chip ones… With ice cream!) go to TC for being my awesome, always-there beta and helping me come up with ideas and helping me write sections that I was finding particularly difficult do to the characters being highly uncooperative. ((glomps both TC and Jinx)) DOUMOARIGATOUGOZAIMASU!!_

_I do not, as I've long maintained, own Sailormoon or the premise for any of the characters that you will recognize from the anime. I do own Queen Dawn, King Solaris, King Twilight, Princess Dawn/Nichiko "Nikko" Seino/Sailorsun, Princess Estella/Hikari Seino/Gemini, Prince Orion/Kishi Seino, Apollo, the premise for the Sun Kingdom and why everything went to shit in the Silver Millennium (another thing I don't own), the files that the old Queen of Mercury put on Ami Mizuno's computer (someone and something I don't own as well) and Setsuna's version of history (though not the character Setsuna Meiou/Sailorpluto, as stated above), the Red Star Crystal and the Black Earth Crystal._

_Read, Review, and Enjoy the Story!  
Slytherin Shaman_


	5. Pt 5 Mercury Retrograde

_Foreword: I realize that I've been using a fair bit of Japanese on you, so here's a little guide for you_

_Foreword: I realize that I've been using a fair bit of Japanese on you, so here's a little guide for you.  
Names; "Nichiko" – "Sun Child" (Nikko is an easy contraction of "Nichiko"), "Hikari" – "Light", "Kishi" – "Skilled Defense", "Seino" – "Star field"  
Suffixes; "San" – term of respect like "Mister" or "Miss", "sensei" – most often said in reference to a professional, but also commonly used as "teacher", "hime" – this one's easy for everyone since we all know "princess", "sama" - reference to someone deserving of great respect and also refers to "lord" or "lady". I also use "ane" (older sister), "imōto" (younger sister) and "otōto" (younger brother) as suffixes.  
Familial Relationships; "O-nē-san" or "O-nee-san"– "honored older sister", "imōto" – "younger sister", "otōto" – "younger brother", "O-tō-sama" or "O-tou-sama" – "honored father" or reference to someone else's father (for the purposes of the Seino triplets, it will be used to refer to King Solaris), "Chichi" – "Dad" in the familiar form (used to refer to Mr. Seino by the triplets), "O-kā-sama" or "O-kaa-sama" – "honored mother" or reference to someone else's mother (used to refer to Queen Dawn by the triplets), "Haha" – "Mom" in the familiar form (used to refer to Mrs. Seino by the triplets).  
Other stuff I've used: "Jya ne/mata" - "See you later"/"Later!"/etc. more commonly seen as "Ja ne/mata"._

_As a note, "O" before any of the family terms generally infers a great deal of respect, as such is due to one's elders. Hikari called Nikko "O-nē-hime" in the last chapter, which shows how much duty/responsibility/honor Hikari feels to Nikko. Not only is Nikko her older sister, but also the princess she is sworn to defend (now on her own)._

_I'm done blathering now. On with the chapter!_

* * *

It was early again that Nikko leaves the apartment the next day, though in far less of a fair mood.

"She had no right," Nikko fumes in the privacy of her own mind as she closes the door with a bit more force than was strictly necessary.

She mulls over the situation, turning the options over in her head while she walks to Tōkyō Tech. The morning is blissfully quiet and without yesterday's physical interruption courtesy of the Moon Princess as Nikko walks slowly and in roundabout ways towards the college.

She still hadn't made a decision when she arrives at the school, even after taking more time to get there. She knew she would have to make one soon since the tingling warning of Chiba's proximity starts to press on her as she approaches the lecture room.

When she enters, she easily spots Chiba, sitting at the front of the class while her seat half way back was still vacant. Her decision is made in an instant as she takes the open seat next to Chiba. Glancing worriedly around, he looks as though he was about to move. However, Tanaka starts his lecture and Chiba is forced to remain in his seat.

Seeing his discomfort, Nikko allows herself a private smile for her discomfort he had caused the day before while taking notes. It wasn't long before a break comes up that allows her to hastily write a note that read:

_Chiba-san, we should talk. Noon at the Tenth District Park? – Seino Nichiko_

She easily slips the note to him, having perfected the practice with her siblings. He starts, almost giving them away to Tanaka, so Nikko pays very studious attention to the lecture while he reads her note.

A small note returns to her quickly. _What about your sister?_

Nikko winces at his response before scowling and replies on the same sheet of paper: Let me worry about Hikari. She was out of line.

Chiba looks more than a little relieved at that news and, after a few moments of consideration, Nikko had another response.

_Noon at Tenth District Park works fine._

Nikko nods an acknowledgement while quickly gathering the notes up and hiding them.

* * *

It takes all of Nikko's willpower to not run towards the rock candy vendor as she and Mamoru arrive at the Tenth District Park. It was a bad habit she'd easily resumed from her life in the Silver Millennium, and stress now made her crave some sweet hard candy to suck on. She contents herself by pulling a small peppermint out of a forgotten pocket of her jacket and popping it in her mouth.

She could feel Mamoru's eyes on her, waiting for her to initiate the conversation. Opening her perceptions with a nervous twitch at her collar, she's grateful that he didn't want to start with the Sun turning on the Earth and Moon. Taking a breath to brace herself, she starts, "How much do you remember? No, not what anyone told you. What do you remember?"

Mamoru is thoughtful for a long moment before he answers, "Not much, actually. I only remember Serenity, the Moon Kingdom, and fighting Beryl and Metallia..."

Nikko looks relieved at hearing this, having feared for her resolve to remain sane and composed if he had remembered the many walks like this that they'd shared, but still loved Serenity.

"But when your sister gave me that note, yesterday, I tried to remember Dawn," Mamoru continues. "I know it wasn't you in this life because she was smiling," he adds, causing Nikko's breath to catch painfully in her throat.

"I see..." Nikko responds, carefully attempting to keep the pain out of her voice. She senses a personal question rising in Mamoru's mind so she quickly goes to her next question. "Where are the Shitennou?"

"The who?" he asks, baffled at her question in part, but also confused as to why walking like this with her felt familiar. Where his memories similar to this with Serenity were filled with secrecy and anticipation, the familiar feeling was based more on an easy companionship and long-built confidence, further confusing him.

"Never mind..." Nikko quickly replies. "What happened to Queen Beryl and Metallia?" she asks.

Her question brings Mamoru out of his memories of memories. "Are you asking out of fear of, or concern for your former ally?" he retorts. A wry ghost of a smile twitches itself onto Nikko's face.

"A touch, acknowledged, sir," she responds, a formality in her voice that seemed to speak more of Dawn's presence than Nikko's. "It was my fault, I guess, that O-kā-sama, Dawn, made the alliance with the Dark Kingdom. I didn't agree with her, even if we were going to turn on Beryl. The cost was too high; Uncle Twilight, Aunt Maia, Arcadia, Demitrius and Chloe, Demetra... People I cared about... But O-kā-sama was so angry when the merger fell apart. I couldn't do anything..." Nikko trails off, unsuccessfully attempting to suppress a wave of guilt. She shakes it off as quickly as she can and resumes her telling.

"The Generals of the Sun Kingdom joined their armies with those of the Dark Kingdom on Earth to help take over. Everyone in the Earth Palace was killed ... by Beryl's forces acting mostly on their own. The Zodiac Guardians left, except for my sister. She could've left, but she stayed with me. You fled to the Moon. One of our generals, when he found out about the slaughter, said he couldn't wait to turn on the Dark Kingdom... within earshot of one of Beryl's generals.

"Beryl ordered the attack on the Corona Palace in the same breath as the attack on the Moon. We tried to recall our forces but the generator was hit and destroyed. The part of the Palace I was in with my siblings collapsed on us. O-kā-sama used the Red Star Crystal to send us with Serenity's court to be reincarnated and put a time lock on our memories. We woke up almost three years ago on our birthday with our memories... and a cat that only got more demanding with his ability to talk," she finishes with a wry smile. "So I asked what happened to Beryl out of concern, but not concern for her.

"Has she come back yet?" Nikko asks, her voice returning to the tone that Mamoru recognizes more as Nichiko. She finds another peppermint in her coat and pops it into her mouth.

"She has," Mamoru answers. "She tried to take over a little more than three years ago. It started slowly, with one of her generals, Jadeite, being sent to gather energy to revive Metallia. Then Nephrite started doing the same... and Zoicite as well... Kunzite was here in the city until Beryl reawakened him... Then he was constantly trying to kill me and Usagi... I learned from Zoicite that they'd been my guardians in Silver Millennium, and Beryl used that knowledge to hold them hostage if I didn't turn myself over to her. She made Nephrite stab himself to enforce her threat."

Mamoru pauses, noting an odd and fleeting look on Nikko's face. Dismissing it, he continues. "Usagi had a lot of problems at that point, since she had a hard enough time keeping the Princess under control even with me not setting myself as her enemy... And whenever the Princess took over, and used the Silver Crystal, Metallia would grow stronger and there would be earthquakes if Usagi was distressed." A fleetingly smug look flashes across Nikko's face, making Mamoru pause again.

'_Of course there'd be earthquakes and other problems if the Moon Princess was using the Silver Crystal on Earth... The Black Earth Crystal's still missing, and, at that point, I wasn't awake to use the Red Crystal to counter the Silver Crystal._' Nikko thinks, somewhat arrogantly, before she realizes that Mamoru had stopped speaking and was watching her. She schools her face to a blandly interested look and nods for him to continue, apologizing for letting her mind wander.

"To make the rest of the story short, Usagi wound up killing Metallia, but also wound up destroying the world... She shattered the Silver Crystal to fix everything, and died in the process, but that reforged the Crystal anew... It's a lot more complicated than that, but I wasn't around for most of it," he finishes, fidgeting idly with the white scarf around his neck against the early spring chill.

Nikko nods, the information matching up with the reports Apollo had brought home to the siblings. "I guess I'd better go now. Hikari will come looking for me if I'm not home soon," Nikko says, a hint of regret on her voice.

Mamoru looks over at her. Her eyes are set determinedly ahead and her fingers fuss with a fine gold chain close to her collar. A flash of red catches his eye from between her fingers. "Right," he agrees, not wishing to face the lone Zodiac Guardian again any time soon, but not wishing to lose the familiar feeling he was only beginning to figure out.

"See you tomorrow in class," Nikko replies, turning to leave.

"Jya mata, Nichiko-san," Mamoru says, and looks shocked at himself. Nikko, too, turns around sharply, her dusk blue eyes seeming to search his very mind. The piercing look fades to a smile, a real smile, that Mamoru thinks is very becoming on her.

"Jya mata, Mamoru-kun," she responds, still smiling. She turns back around and leaves.

As she disappears down the path, Mamoru is left wondering how it had felt so right but was so baffling now to think of Nikko so familiarly.

* * *

Minako is pleased with herself, a smug look on her face as she arrives at the greenhouses on Tōkyō Tech's campus. All she'd been able to remember was the Solar reincarnate's surname (Seino) and that at least their princess was enrolled at Tōkyō Tech.

To her chagrin, all three were enrolled, and she'd picked the wrong one to stalk.

Seino finishes with the current project at the table and, with a friendly farewell to the teacher, leaves the greenhouse, walking right past Minako's hiding place. She follows the long-haired botany student away from the school only to stop in her tracks when he turns around.

"Is there a particular reason you're following me, Venus-sama?" Kishi Seino asks, causing Minako to go bright red in embarrassment.

"I - uh..." she stammers.

"I understand. You have questions. Walk with me back to my apartment and I'll answer them. Is that agreeable?" he asks, unfazed.

Minako bites her lip, wanting to haul him to the senshi meeting but also realizing that Haruka and Michiru would probably try to kill him. "Lead the way, Orion," she responds after a moment more of consideration.

"Wonderful. You might want to call me Kishi while we're out in public though... By the way, how do you feel about American food, Aino Minako?" he asks, offering his arm to the former idol.

"How'd you know my name?" she asks, eyes narrowed at the young man, not taking his offered arm.

"The same way I knew you were behind me?" he retorts with a grin, his eyes laughing. Minako opens her mouth several times to try to answer but eventually settles for sighing in frustration as she finally takes his proffered arm.

"What kind of American food?"

* * *

"You live here by yourself?" Minako asks as Kishi holds the door to the apartment open for her.

"With my sisters," Kishi responds, following Minako in and closing the door behind him. "We all got accepted to Tōkyō Tech and it was the school Nikko wanted over all the others. You're not a vegetarian, are you?" he asks as he moves into the kitchen.

"No," she answers, as several pots and pans appear on the stove. "What do you and your sisters remember? From the Silver Millennium?"

"Everything... Okay, that's not quite true," he answers, pulling various food-stuffs from cabinets and the refrigerator and working with them. "The things that were habit back then are accessible, but only sub-consciously. Nikko makes Generator parts when she's not paying attention to what she's doing with her science projects. I automatically respond with the best plan of attack, and strategy games are extremely easy for me. Hikari's repressed her art so much that she only paints in her sleep now." Kishi has a sad look on his face as he mentions Hikari as he leans against a counter, having started steaming vegetables, water to boil for cooking noodles and a base for some sort of gravy or sauce. "We do remember the history and major events, and names of people that we had strong emotions tied to, or had dealt with on a frequent basis. Did you want me to remember something in particular?"

"No, nothing specific," she replies. "What's that spare pan for?" she asks, noting the empty pan next to the stove.

"That? Oh, that's for cooking the beef soon," Kishi answers nonchalantly.

There is a long pause then, during which Kishi pulls a package of meat from the refrigerator and starts cutting the pieces into smaller chunks.

"Did you cook and tend flowers back then too?" Minako asks, breaking the not-quite-awkward silence.

"No. O-tō-sama and O-kā-sama were training me to be one of Dawn-nē-hime's generals when she became queen, and when I wasn't in lessons, I was being pranced about the system like a stallion up for sale," he responds, cutting the meat with possibly more effort than was needed for the task. "I took up botany and cooking during this life. Until Nikko-nē-san figures out how to rebuild the palace, I figure I'm on a rather permanent hiatus. Might as well do something peaceful."

"Was the King of the Moon really your uncle back then?" Minako asks, the questions coming easily in the relaxed atmosphere that seems to permeate the apartment as Kishi cooks.

"Uncle Twilight..." he responds with a laugh and a rueful half-smile. "He was a good man. Excellent at gathering the information that O-kā-sama wanted. That's how we figured out most of what we knew about the Moon Queens; the Cycle, the last queen's machinations... All the while, he presented a completely loyal front to his wife... O-kā-sama used him horribly... Twilight did care for Serenity..." Kishi trails off as he puts the meat into the pan, the juices crackling as they cooked away.

"Why did... everything happen?" she asks.

Kishi, thinking of how to answer the question as he pours bow-tie shaped pasta into the boiling pot of water. "About two hundred years before our time, the Queen of the Sun and her advisors started work on a plan to peacefully unite the solar system under one crown. By the time it came to O-kā-sama's hands, it had several contingency plans. Marrying Twilight to Queen Serenity was just one of them. If O-kā-sama hadn't had a daughter, Serenity-hime would've been named successor to the Sun Kingdom's throne. But not only did she have a daughter, she had us. She was so thrilled to get King Demitrius to agree to drawing up the merger. To O-kā-sama, the plan meant everything... And it fell apart in her hands. I know some of how she felt, especially since it involved Dawn-nē-hime's happiness. She didn't let anyone know, but Dawn-nē-hime was upset too... but not as angry as O-kā-sama. Against most of her advisors' judgment and against the entirety of the Queen's Zodiac Guard, O-kā-sama made the agreement with Beryl and Metallia. She went totally of the deep end when all the royals in the Earth Palace were slaughtered... After that, losing the entire Zodiac Guard didn't phase her. By that point, the whole of the army knew that we were going to turn on the Dark Kingdom at the first viable opportunity, and some lesser general opened his mouth too far about it in hearing of one of Beryl's minions after Beryl's forces killed everyone at Earth's Palace."

Kishi pauses as he turns the meat over in the skillet and stirs the boiling pasta, and the simmering sauce. Minako holds her breath, waiting for him to continue.

"That's all there really is to it. O-kā-sama was certain that Serenity-sama had done something using the Silver Crystal to destroy the merger, though how Serenity-sama found out about it is questionable."

"Why couldn't the plan have worked with Serenity-hime and Endymion marrying first?" she asks as Kishi checks the vegetables and turns them.

"The general thought is that the Moon Kingdom would've wanted to keep their matrilineal succession, thus making it impossible for the Sun to then merge in without skipping a generation and a queen purposefully not having an heir. The only way for the merger to have worked with Serenity-hime and Endymion marrying first was if O-kā-sama had not had her children. O-kā-sama would've then been forced to name Serenity-hime her heir. The Moon Kingdom was also highly possessive of their identity. The information we had was that the Kingdom's constituents would not have wanted to be ruled by any other crown and would always want to be known as the Moon Kingdom. For the Sun Kingdom, no such idea existed. It was enough to know that it was the light from our home that gave life to the rest of the system and that we'd peacefully united the solar system. Dawn-nē-hime's heir would've been male, so that the Earth Kingdom's constituents would be mollified... and hopefully, that son would've married Serenity-hime's daughter." Kishi pulls a piece of pasta out of the boiling water and cuts it in half before eating it. "Another minute or so..." he adds, more to himself, as he stirs the simmering sauce again.

"Why are you being so open about this?" Minako asks, finally realizing that she was getting more information than she'd originally set out for.

"Quite simple really," Kishi answers as he starts taking things off the stove. "You obviously want the answers, even though all I can tell you is what I remember, which will be highly biased in the Sun Kingdom's favor. I have no problem with telling you what I remember... Why shouldn't I answer your questions?" he asks as he pours the water away from the noodles, setting them down with the rest of the bowls on the counter.

"Perhaps because your sisters would like to make sure that you don't go running your mouth off to a pretty moon face?" Kishi whirls around to find his sisters standing in the doorway.

"Nikko!"

* * *

_Disclaimers: First of all, kudos-cookies continue to go to Jinx for having helped me rewrite my concept of Sailorsun and the Sun Kingdom. Freaking massive amounts of kudos-cookies (the awesome, pizza-sized chocolate chip ones… With ice cream!) go to TC for being my awesome, always-there beta and helping me come up with ideas and helping me write sections that I was finding particularly difficult due to the characters being highly uncooperative. ((glomps both TC and Jinx)) DOUMOARIGATOUGOZAIMASU!!_

_I do not, as I've long maintained, own Sailormoon or the premise for any of the characters that you will recognize from the anime/manga/live-action drama. I do own Queen Dawn, King Solaris, King Twilight, Princess Dawn/Nichiko "Nikko" Seino/Sailorsun, Princess Estella/Hikari Seino/Gemini, Prince Orion/Kishi Seino, Apollo, the premise for the Sun Kingdom and why everything went to shit in the Silver Millennium (another thing I don't own), the files that the old Queen of Mercury put on Ami Mizuno's computer (someone and something I don't own as well) and Setsuna's version of history (though not the character Setsuna Meiou/Sailorpluto, as stated above), the Red Star Crystal and the Black Earth Crystal._

_Read, Review, and Enjoy the Story!  
Slytherin Shaman_


	6. Pt 6 Cancer Ascendant

"Nikko! Hikari!" Kishi exclaims, his eyes betraying his feeling of being caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but he recovers quickly. "You're home in time for dinner," he adds with a smile that didn't quite hide his tension.

The united and stony-faced front of Nikko and Hikari daunts Minako and she's grateful when Nikko smiles. "He got under your guard with supposedly psychic powers and invited you home for dinner, didn't he?" she asks with a sigh that spoke of many house guests under such pretenses.

Minako only nods, her eyes on Hikari and watching her like she was a snake about to strike. Nikko clears her throat, but gets no response from her sister. "Hikari-imōto, would you please take the tea off of our brother's hands... Now?" Nikko asks, but her voice rings with the tones of an order. Hikari slowly turns from Minako, keeping her eyes on Minako until she moves out of sight, illiciting another sigh from Nikko.

"By the way, since someone's been so rude as to not introduce us, I'm Seino Nichiko, Nikko to my family. Pleasure to meet you," Nikko says smoothly, nodding her head and bowing ever so slightly from the waist in a short form of the more formal bow. Minako immediately could tell that Nikko was Princess Dawn, in the elegance and poise that infused every word and gesture... but Minako also knows that the courtesy Nikko was extending was considerable, especially given that Minako was in i_her_/i home and an unannounced guest as well.

"Aino Minako. Pleasure to meet you," Minako responds, bowing respectfully.

"Aino Minako..." Nikko repeats, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. At Minako's confused look, Nikko chuckles. "Sorry... It's just a rather appropriate name for someone who was the Moon Court's Aphrodite... Though notably without the goddess' sexual practices."

Minako relaxes, laughing along with Nikko, who gestures for Minako to take a seat at the table as she retrieves the plates and utensils for the meal. Kishi allows himself a chuckle as well before he starts working around Nikko to set the various (delicious smelling) dishes of food around the table. Hikari is noticeably silent as she rattles away with the teapot.

"Um..." Minako starts, hesitating. "Does this mean I can still stay for dinner?" she asks, eyeing Hikari in the kitchen warily.

"My brother invited you to do so, didn't he?" Nikko retorts, setting a plate in front of Minako.

"Yes, but..." Minako starts, but trails off hesitantly.

"I'm not so cruel as to not honor an offer once given and accepted... Even if I _would_ prefer a little advance warning... Kishi does the cooking but I do wish he'd be less free with his offers of food," Nikko responds evenly, casting a somewhat censuring glance to the younger of her siblings. Kishi has the grace to look embarrassed.

Finishing her task of setting four plates with forks and spoons around the table, she sits at what appears to be the head of the table, placing Minako on her immediate left. Kishi joins them, sitting to Minako's right, leaving Hikari the seat to Nikko's right.

Minako is keenly aware of Hikari watching them from the kitchen as she notices that the seating was almost rigidly formal, only missing place cards to rival a state dinner. Hikari brings the tea pot out, unnervingly silent as she places it on the table between Nikko and herself, and sits. She stares across the table at Minako making her feel very self-conscious.

"So... Um... Does Kishi invite guests home for dinner often?" Minako ventures into the quiet clinking of dishes being served by Kishi.

"Ever since he learned how to cook, it's been his primary method of flirtation," Nikko answers easily, making Kishi sputter as he hands a dish across the table to Hikari.

"Now be fair... it's not -" Kishi starts but Nikko cuts him off.

"It's okay Kishi-otōto... We'd be worried if you _didn't_ flirt with a girl... We've gotten used to it." Hikari nods in agreement with Nikko's statement, starting to smile at Kishi's discomfort.

He sighs gustily as he finishes serving up the food, chunks of beef with noodles in a thick and savory sauce with various vegetables available at personal preference. Both Hikari and Nikko opt for no peppers, while Kishi helps himself to all of the vegetables. Minako braces herself against any potential problems and goes after the peppers and broccoli.

The dinner goes on with Minako occasionally asking a question, which Nikko or Kishi answer in as much detail as possible. Hikari's baleful looks lighten as the question and answer game stays firmly away from any contentious topics (such as Serenity, Endymion, the Shitennou, or the Golden Kingdom in general), and she even starts to laugh at some of the answers, though she never answered any herself.

"What were the Moon Kingdom senshi like back then?" Minako asks, giving in to the vainer side of her personality as the meal winds down, making Nikko laugh outright.

"Why don't you field this one, Master Charmer?" Nikko suggests, laughing hard enough to make pouring a cup of tea difficult. Hikari grins as well as she relieves Nikko of the teapot and finishes refilling the cup. Kishi scowls at his sisters as he scoops the last of the food onto his plate.

"Pandora, Amymone, Gaia and Rhea," he starts but stops at Minako's blank look. "Princesses of Pluto, Neptune, Uranus and Saturn?" he says, trying again and finds recognition so he continues. "They were nice enough, but rather preoccupied. For Persephone, it was the Time Gate. Rhea was rather creepy, if I'm honest. She had a... Let's call it 'unique' way of looking at things. Amymone and Gaia were obsessed with any possible attack from the outside... We didn't get along too well since they were deeply suspicious of the Zodiac Court.

"Arcadia, Mercury, was our cousin, as was Serenity," Kishi says, gaining more laughter from Nikko and Hikari.

"Not that being our cousin stopped him from flirting mercilessly with Arcadia," Nikko adds, full of mirth.

"Well can you blame me?" Kishi demands indignantly. "You would've too if you'd seen the shade of red she turned _every time_!" he adds defensively. "But we're _cousins_!" Kishi says in a fair imitation of Ami, making Hikari laugh as hard as Nikko. Minako laughs as well, well able to imagine Ami saying such a thing.

Kishi gets up, pushing his chair back easily and taking the empty plates into the kitchen while the hilarity dies down.

"Serenity wasn't bad... We got along alright... She was rather clever about politics and played up her romantic ditz act to make everyone underestimate her... It just got annoying when she wouldn't turn it off," Nikko says, calming down. Kishi returns then, taking his seat and taking a bite of the food on his plate.

"Minerva, Mars, was a keen observer and very spiritual... but no one would cross her because she was a fierce warrior as well. I heard tales that gave her supernatural perception against her opponents... I never had the opportunity to find out for myself, thank goodness," he says, continuing.

"You, as Eve, were even busier than Gaia or Amymone were, what with you being the leader of the lunar senshi and all the tension with the Golden Kingdom..." The way Kishi stops so suddenly to glance anxiously at Nikko tells Minako volumes about the emotional undercurrents at the table.

"Juno, Jupiter, was generally very nice. She and I got along well enough. I think O-kā-sama would've arranged a marriage for me with her if things had not gone the way they had..." Again, he trails off, his gaze falling on Nikko, whose focus remains on the tea cup in her hands. Her face was carefully blank, but it had a forced look to it that gave all her secret emotions away.

"I think, Aino-san, that's the last of our answers for now," Nikko says, setting her cup down and standing. Hikari and Kishi stand as well, only a fraction of a second behind their sister; '_their leader... and more,_' Minako realizes as she joins them on her feet.

"I should get going. There was a meeting after school to discuss the new adversary," Minako agrees, moving with Nikko to the door. "I wish Usagi or I were more like you, Seino Nichiko. Maybe then, the in-fighting, that I'm sure is happening, wouldn't," she adds as retrieves her bag from the floor in the entry way.

Nikko responds, with a thin smile, "Many things are not as they should be, Aino-san." She then opens the door for Minako and bows slightly, much the same as before.

MInako steps into the hallway, but hesitates and turns around before Nikko could close the door. "You still love him, don't you?" she asks, ignoring the sharp intakes of breath from Kishi and Hikari and keeping her eyes on Nikko.

Nikko meets Minako's gaze with eyes the color of a twilight sky in the depths of winter. "That was a very long time ago, Aino Minako," she answers flatly and closes the door before Minako could ask anything else.

Minako leaves to go to Hikawa Temple, more enlightened but more silenced than before.

* * *

The klaxon rings and echoes through the Zodiac Palace, raising a clamor of activity and shouts.

Time had passed strangely in the palace since the fall of the Silver Millennium. Even though the occupants of the palace were aware and cognizant of every day of each of the thousands of years, no one ever aged. If they were hurt, they would heal at the same rate as expected, but no other signs that time was passing existed.

The klaxon stops ringing as the various Queens and Princesses and Lady-Potentials gather in the Main Hall.

"What in the worlds was that?" Resa, Princess of Aries, demands as she enters with the Lady-Potentials of her zodiac following her.

"That, Resa, is the Princess Alarm," Queen Aryelle of Pisces responds evenly.

"Why is there a Princess Alarm?" Princess Narissa of Pisces asks, confused.

"Because _your_ Princess was sent back into the cycle for reincarnation, and _your_ Princess has apparently come close to the other two Crystals while in possession of her own and _you_ will be presenting yourselves to her as soon as we can get the ship running again," Queen Phoebe of Cancer answers harshly, taking no small private pleasure in the ashen looks on the faces of the Princess' Guard.

"Phoebe-sama," Diane starts quietly from behind the Queen of Cancer, "does that mean Estella would be with her?" Diane sounds timid asking, which was taken by most as fear. To the Lady-Potentials ranged behind her with pitying looks on their faces, her timidity was barely restrained hope that her friend was alive.

"By all rights, she should be," Aedalyn responds fiercely and Diane's eyes light with hidden hope and joy. Narissa faints outright at the Gemini Queen's response while the rest of the Princesses quaver in fear.

"You all have long complained that you've been denied the crowns you've been groomed and trained for," Azraelia adds, a scornful glare directed at Narissa who was been brought, none too gently, back to her senses. "Well, here's your chance. Go to Earth and may Princess Dawn and Gemini have mercy on you... If they think it right to do so," she continues scathingly. "Queens' meeting in five minutes, if no one minds," she finishes before brushing past Princess Resa disdainfully. The remaining eleven queens file out as well. Aedalyn has a smug look on her face as she dismisses the equally smug Lady-Potentials behind her.

The Princesses are left, shell-shocked to figure out who would go to face Dawn. The rest of the Lady-Potentials dismiss themselves, though the Ladies of Cancer excuse themselves politely to Diane, giving her reassuring smiles when no one could see.

"Come on, Diane," Caroline of Capricorn says, tugging on Diane's deep ocean blue sleeve. Diane schools her face into an expression similar to the rest of them before joining them in their discussion.

"Right... Let's just settle it this way... Red string goes and takes her team with her," Resa says, having taken over in the absence of their real commander. Calliope, without waiting for any consensus of approval, goes and gets several strings, one of which had a red end but that was hidden in her hand. Diane is the first to draw a string from Calliope's hand, followed by Aliera of Leo and Antonia of Virgo, but all were pure white. So were the strings drawn by Lenore of Libra, Morrigan of Scorpio and Desdemona of Saggitarius, Amarys of Aquarius and Resa's own string.

Three strings remain in Calliope's hand. Calliope draws one for herself, and her team sighs in relief as they see no hint of red on it. Caroline of Capricorn reaches for one string before drawing the other remaining string and Resa and Lenore both cringe. Narissa faints again, this time from relief.

"Looks like the Cardinals are going. Fitting, don't you think?" Caroline asks sweetly as she kicks Narissa awake.

'_I'm coming back, Estella... Just like you said I could... And you won't order me away again,_' Diane thinks, hiding her elation underneath her accustomed mask of depressed indifference.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Aedalyn leans back in her customary chair and sips at a flute of sparkling wine as she waits for the other queens to arrive in the meeting chamber, a smug twinkle in her eyes.

Aryelle is the first to arrive and she scowls at Aedalyn. "You can stop acting smug now..." she says sourly. "You'd think she'd get tired of gloating after several millennia," she adds with a sigh.

"Is she at it again?" Azraelia asks as she enters with Demetria (The Queen of Taurus), her second in command, and the pair of them sit in the chairs between Aryelle and Aedalyn.

"When is she _not_ gloating?" Demetria asks, grinning at the now scowling Aedalyn. "She'll never let us live down the fact that her joke selection for a successor turned out to be the best choice of us all..."

"Aedalyn, have you been gloating again?" Kendal of Saggitarius asks as she and several other queens (namely Ravyn of Aquarius, Kathryn of Capricorn, Mabh of Scorpio, Constance of Libra, Penelope of Virgo, and ) enter to hear the tail end of Demetria's comment.

"I didn't say anything!" Aedalyn protests, setting her glass down. "I was simply enjoying a celebratory glass of the sparkling wine, which we've been saving for such a day as this, and everyone started making assumptions." Aedalyn stands and dramatically throws herself at Constance of Libra. "Save me from these false accusations, Lady of Justice."

"Are they really false accusations this time, Aedalyn?" Constance asks skeptically. Aedalyn feigns a hurt look.

"I give my word, by the powers granted to me by the Twins' Zodiac, that I said nothing to provoke this talk about how I made the best choice of a successor," Aedalyn responds solemnly, but her eyes hold a belying twinkle of laughter.

"You may not say anything, Lady of Light, but you do provoke us with your constant superiority," Constance replies, laughing at the dismayed look on Aedalyn's face. The play of events was one often seen in this room of the Zodiac Palace.

"Not as though she doesn't have a point, though... We all slacked off, thinking peace was around the corner, and look at what happened..." Ravyn comments sourly, pouring her own glass of sparkling wine and sitting down. The rest of the queens slowly follow suit.

"It's true... Our Queens never would've allowed such lax standards, even for peace time... We know where we went wrong," Kathryn adds, her voice full of resignation.

"Well that _is_ why we've been training the Potentials since then," Azraelia responds. "We were trained up to be Guardians. We were picked when we were young and then we weren't the only one's to be trained, so there was a competition factor... We picked our Princesses based on the assumption that peace was around the corner... And that there'd be pretty lordlings for them to court and seal the alliance with..."

The queens nod in agreement with their commander. Rosa turns to Phoebe. "Where does that leave your Diane, Phoebe?" she asks before taking a sip of her drink. Rosa, of course, referred to how Diane had been injured while on Earth and subsequently was ordered to go with the Queens.

"I couldn't honestly say..." Phoebe responds, partaking of her own glass as she thinks about the attitude of her own Princess.

* * *

Disclaimers: First of all, kudos-cookies continue to go to Jinx for having helped me rewrite my concept of Sailorsun and the Sun Kingdom. Freaking massive amounts of kudos-cookies (the awesome, pizza-sized chocolate chip ones… With ice cream!) go to TC for being my awesome, always-there beta and helping me come up with ideas and helping me write sections that I was finding particularly difficult do to the characters being highly uncooperative. Also, my wonderful Maman gets great big bars of chocolate fore helping me revamp and fill in blanks in the back story. If you haven't already, go re-read Chapter 1! It's MUCH better! ((glomps TC Jinx and Maman)) DOUMOARIGATOUGOZAIMASU!

I do not, as I've long maintained, own Sailormoon or the premise for any of the characters that you will recognize from the anime. I do own: Queen Dawn, King Solaris, King Twilight, Princess Dawn/Nichiko "Nikko" Seino/Sailorsun, Princess Estella/Hikari Seino/Gemini, Prince Orion/Kishi Seino, Apollo, the premise for the Sun Kingdom and why everything went to shit in the Silver Millennium (another thing I don't own), the files that the old Queen of Mercury put on Ami Mizuno's computer (someone and something I don't own as well), Setsuna's version of history (though not the character Setsuna Meiou/Sailorpluto, as stated above), the Red Star Crystal, the Black Earth Crystal, and the Zodiac Court (who are listed above if you feel like re-reading that list...).

Read, Review, and Enjoy the Story!

Slytherin Shaman


	7. Pt 7 Moon in Libra

_He sits on a bench in one of the many gardens around the Earth Palace with the red-haired Sun Princess beside him. "You're in love with her," she says, her voice filled with betrayal. He reaches out to her, but she stands, practically recoiling away from him. "How dare you spurn me," Dawn says, turning to look at him. He inwardly cringes at how cold her eyes had gone. "Good riddance to you and your _love_," she adds, turning and walking quickly away._

_He calls after her but she doesn't acknowledge him, instead beckoning imperiously to her guard and Serenity. The Moon Princess casts a worried glance at him before following her vengeful cousin._

_The scene shifts, and he's atop the Earth Palace, staring down as the youma army of the Dark Kingdom drag out the dead and the imprisoned. The palace guards, who had remained silent while the enemy army invaded the castle, are kept in a magical cage while the royals, who had reacted in surprise at the attack, had their bodies piled up in great heaps or violated by the more perverted of the horde._

_A new unit of troops advances on the palace, the rearguard lead by a general resplendent in ruby red - the color of the Sun Kingdom armies - and even through the mother-of-pearl-esque dome protecting him from the attacking youma, Endymion could see who the commander was; Prince Orion Helios._

_Prince Orion's eyes travel from the Shitenou on one knee before him to Endymion's haven on the roof, the normally brilliant emeralds devoid of emotion as he issues another order; "Kill the resistance." The Shitenou, Endymion's guard and trusted friends, turn as one and leave to join the effort to destroy the shield surrounding him and the armored senshi who had created it._

_"Go!" the senshi shouts, her voice muffled as though underwater. The Shitenou step out on to the roof, and the senshi urges him to leave with all haste again. He complies and gets into the small shuttle already prepped for departure. He hesitates once more and she screams at him to leave. As he finally gets inside the flyer, her shield collapses under the assault of the four generals and her armor shatters, leaving the senshi battered and broken._

_The Shitenou converge on the fallen warrior, poised for the kill and - _

Mamoru sat straight up in bed, his heart pounding in his chest. It took him a moment to remember he was still in his bedroom, not in the past. Looking around to reorient himself, he notes the time glowing from his bedside clock and the calendar hanging on the wall. For a moment, he starts again, remembering his date with Usagi was only an hour away, but then he relaxes again as he also remembers that Usagi was likely going to be asleep for another thirty minutes.

An indulgent smile spreads across his face, banishing the dream-induced panic. Mamoru could almost picture Usagi's smiling face in his mind. He allowed himself a moment to relax before getting out of bed to go through his morning ritual.

During his morning tea he thought back to the dream, briefly. Was it really something that Princess would say? It didn't seem to fit right in his mind. The memories he had gleaned before felt different and as he tried to think back on them it was almost like a butterfly just flying out of his reach. He knew that they were there but he couldn't grasp them.

Nichiko didn't seem like she would be that cruel. It didn't make sense - but his memory wouldn't lie to him. It never had before... Although the things that Setsuna had said at the meeting made him feel uncomfortable in his own mind. Determined to put those thoughts out of mind and enjoy his day with his girlfriend, Mamoru grabs his jacket and heads out to meet Usagi.

Sure enough, Mamoru arrived at their designated rendez-vous right at the arranged time and Usagi was no where in sight. He smiles and sits on a nearby bench to wait for her arrival, enjoying the peace of the park on a sunny spring Saturday.

Usagi was never _really_ late, only just late enough that it was noticeable, so it was no surprise when, about fifteen minutes after their scheduled meeting, her dulcet cries of "I'M LATE!" could be heard.

In anticipation, Mamoru stands and looks in the direction the shouts were coming from. The ritual of Usagi careening into Mamoru's arms by some mishap of grace happens, leaving the pair laughing.

"Sorry I'm late, Mamo-chan... I-" Usagi starts, panting for breath.

"Overslept. It's okay... I figured," Mamoru interjects, smiling down at her. Oblivious to the world around them, she smiles back up at him.

"Well, isn't this a perfect day?" Mamoru felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up at the sound of the female voice. He turned to see two girls standing close to their bench. "The birds are singing. The sun is shining. And you're both going to die."

Before the couple had a chance to react, the girl who'd spoken and her companion both strike a pose. The one who had been silent starts to do a complex number of movements with her hands, revealing a silver bracelet with an orange stone on it which causes a flash of light.

The other simply smiles slightly. "Thuban Terra power..." She reveals a silver bracelet with a pink stone on it. "MAKE UP!" Another flash of light follows this, leaving Mamoru with the nagging feeling that this should mean something to him. The two girl revealed themselves both in entirely black fuku with orange or pink eccents.

"I am Thuban and my tall, dark and silent companion is Alrai. We'll be the ones dispatching you from the mortal coil this morning." The one in orange nods slightly before sliding her hand across her arm, sending a blast of air at Mamoru, tearing him away from Usagi.

Mamoru hears more then feels himself hit the ground. All the sound in the park seems to die out as he pulls himself to his feet to face the silent Alrai. Looking into her eyes, he sees unsurpassed loathing. She makes the same arm movements and Mamoru leaps to try and avoid the blast of wind that sends him off kilter and crashing sideways into the ground. He reaches into his pocket to pull out the rose as he transforms.

"I don't know who you are but this is not-" Tuxedo Kamen says, backing away from Alrai, who whips her arm letting out a whip-like gust of air that slashes him across the face.

"Aaaiiii!"

Tuxedo Kamen looks over to see Usagi crawling away from Thuban twirling twin fans of fire. "Usagi, Transfo-Mh." His advice is cut short as he gets thrown into a trash can hard.

"Mamoru!" Usagi calls as he hears her let out a cry of pain.

"You'd think the future Lord, my God, would be more of a challenge." Thuban kicks Usagi in the ribs, flipping her over. "Maybe I should hang your body from Tokyo Tower? Think that'd be dramatically worthy of the Moon Kingdom, Alrai?"

Alrai unleashes another wind whip attack on Tuxedo Kamen, causing him to bite back an exclamation of pain. "Leave her alone!" Tuxedo Kamen grunts.

"You're right." Thuban says even as she slices Usagi across the chest with her fans. "Beg me. Plead. Maybe I'll let you live long enough so your court can watch you die."

"Why are you doing this?" Usagi cries. Tuxedo Kamen's heart wrenches painfully as he tries to move towards her, only to be blocked by Alrai.

"Don't remember, Serenity?" Thuban kicks Usagi away from her with a growl. Thuban twists her hands, bringing the fans closed and making them twin short blades made of fire. "Maybe this will remind you!"

In a blur of yellow and blue that seems to be becoming the trademark of her entrance, Sailorsun is suddenly between Thuban and her intended target. Thuban's blades collide with solid air, and the intent look on Sun's face gives away that she's responsible for the protection.

Gemini, stony faced and silent, intervenes on behalf of Tuxedo Kamen. The match between Gemini's light and Alrai's wind produces a rather brutal stalemate. Gemini obviously could've over-powered her silent opponent, but her unwillingness to protect the man who'd broken her sister's heart and Alrai's determination puts the pair on even ground.

Sun, breaking her eye contact with Thuban though still maintaining the small, invisible bubble protecting them, looks over her shoulder at the hapless girl on the ground. "Get yourself and the prince out of here... We'll keep them off of you."

Thuban sneers at the senshi before her. "So your court has decided to align with the treacherous, corrupt murders?"

Sun turns a dead gaze on Thuban, her eyes reflecting far more loss than the black-and-pink-clad senshi could know. "I have decided that I will not see the one I love pained by the loss of his loved ones. My court follows my command," she responds flatly, but the tone carries throughout their clearing.

"Your court is allying with the Moon? After every traspass they've committed?" Thuban growls.

Sun sighs and looks over her shoulder at the couple holding on to each other. She manages to not wince and say, "Leave. We've got this handled." Gemini sighs in disgust as Tuxedo Kamen hesitates. "Good grief, you're useless. Didn't you hear her? RUN!" she snaps, waving them on with a harshly dismissive gesture. "What she sees in him, I'll never understand..." she mutters under her breath before returning her attention to her silent black-and-orange opponent.

Sun turns back to Thuban. "There's only one trespass committed; the rest is simply the unhappy end of it. Queen Serenity bears the full blame for it... And we both know that Pluto would kill anyone who would go back to kill her..."

"Sins of the mother afflict unto the several generations." Thuban twirls the fans as she launches for another attack at the now rapidly retreating couple.

Sun intercepts the attack easily and, in a low voice, says, "I don't like her any more than you do, but I will not see Endymion hurt."

"I'm sure he won't shead but a tear for her. He has no heart to break."

"He still has mine, Thuban... Please... I know how to fix this..."

"There is no fix for what has been done. They murdered our queen without a second thought." Thuban moves to go past her to go after Usagi. Alrai looks at Gemini and makes a move with her hands as if asking her to step down.

Sun keeps herself between Thuban and the fleeing couple, and steps in close to the hostile senshi. Initially, Thuban stiffens noticeably, and Alrai makes a move to assist only to be intercepted by a no-longer-reticent Gemini, but, after nothing dire happens, she listens to Sun's low words. "Persephone's alive."

"What?" Thuban takes a step back starring at the sun princess in awe. "We've looked everywhere..."

"I don't know exactly where she is now... but we had some clues crop up while we were in Beijing about two years ago," Sun replies. "But it does us no good if we don't find the Black Earth Crystal..."

Alrai stands down lowering her arms and bowing slightly. "Alrai thanks you," Thuban translates, "but that does not change what Saturn has done."

"No... It doesn't change any of the harm done..." Sun replies softly, eyes reflecting her hurt. "But you have two things you can do to restore things... You can help here and find the Earth Crystal so the spell on Endymion and the Lunars is broken... Or you can try to find Vega... She was keeping track of Persephone, last I heard..."

Alrai lets out a sound of frustration as a burst of wind releases from her hands.

"The traitor? Perfect." Thuban looks over at Alrai who motions with her hands. "Alrai will find the princess. Polaris and I will assist _your_ court."

Sun raises an eye brow at the 'traitor' comment. Gemini looks as though she's about to protest but is silenced with one of Sun's perfected sidelong looks. "We thank you. Let's get out of public so we can fill you in with what we know..."

And as the four senshi part ways, a glowering set of eyes watch from a distance, unsure of what exactly had transpired, but sure that it could only bode ill for the Moon Court...

* * *

Usagi takes a deep breath before she continues, "Then Sailorsun and Sailorgemini came in and stood between these people claiming to be Sailorthuban and Sailoralrei and told us to run."

"So they protected you?" Rei asks sitting back slightly. "Perhaps Michiru and Haruka were mistaken about their motives."

"Or not..." Michiru mutters darkly from the side, having just arrived...

"They were working with the Sun court." Haruka growls as she walks in behind her lover. "We saw them talking to the two who attacked you."

Setsuna pierces them both with a critical stare. "And could you hear what they were saying in order to draw that conclusion? Please, enlighten us with the specifics of that interview if you were present and felt that Dawn and Gemini were better protection than you yourselves could provide..." Her tone is dangerous, as though daring them to account for why _they_ hadn't protected Usagi and Mamoru if they were so adamant about not trusting the Sun Court...

"We did not arrive until Usagi and Marmoru were already fleeing." Haruka says, glaring at Setsuna. "Don't you dare call our loyalty into question when it is obvious where your truly lie."

"What are you talking about?" Usagi asks, looking confused as ever.

"I simply refuse to buy the propaganda, which you swallow up blindly..." Setsuna says blandly, almost dismissive as though it were a trivial matter.

"Let Haruka finish," Makoto says firmly. "I might not have the memories that the rest of you but I have an open mind."

Setsuna leans back, secure in her knowledge that when the day's done, her place would still be secure. "I'm still waiting for the specifics of this conversation they claim took place..."

Ami, seeming to appoint herself to research, quietly taps away at her computer, eyes flicking between speakers. "You said Alrai and Thuban, didn't you Usagi-chan?"

"What?" Usagi asks looking at Ami. "Mmm Yes, I think that's what Thuban called the other one, right Mamo-chan?"

"Hmm? Oh! Right... Thuban and Alrai..." Mamoru confirms, though he seems to be battling some confusion and a head full of thoughts.

"We saw these other two fake senshi not attack Sun and Gemini." Haruka says, glaring down Setsuna. "We saw them walk away together with no combat going on. These two others claimed that _we_ follow a tainted leader. And Sun did nothing to correct them!"

"Alrai and Thuban are not _fake_ senshi... They are, or were, the senshi appointed to guard Princess Persephone of the Earth," Setsuna says, ever calm. Hotaru's eye's gleam over slightly as she draws her legs to her chest quietly as if frightened by something.

Mamoru starts, even more confused. "Of Earth?"

"Well, they were trying to kill Odango-chan. I very much doubt they were..." Haruka stops speaking for a moment as if just catching the term Earth Senshi. "What?"

"Four guarding stars to protect and guide the Princess." Hotaru's voice sounds older then normal. "They failed their task..."

Michiru stares at the smallest of the senshi for a long moment before shaking her head. "Failed senshi, even better... So what happened to this Princess of of theirs?"

Setsuna looks up from her own gaze on Hotaru which was far more understanding that Michiru's. "Quite simply, she was assassinated by an agent of Queen Serenity, to ensure Endymion's succession."

"What?" Usagi asked standing up looking between Setsuna and Hotaru. "What are you talking about?"

"That's all that need be known here. Regardless, I'm sure Alrai and Thuban blame Usagi-sama, and even Mamoru-sama as well, for their Princess' death, which explains why they attacked them today."

"And what about them waltzing off with Sun and Gemini like best friends off to get a cup of coffee and catch up with each other?" Michiru demands.

"Probably because Sun has some knowledge that would be beneficial to them..." Setsuna answers cryptically.

"I doubt that." Hakura crossed her arms over her chest. "They looked too close together to simply be just sharing information."

"It would make sense." Makoto said putting her hand on the table. "They might be working together with that man from before just to get closer to us."

Rei sits silently as she tries to focus her mind on what is being said. It seems almost as if she were in a trance.

"Oh that'd make Gemini thrilled to hear..." Setsuna says softly with a chuckle.

"If they were guardians to the princess of the earth, then wouldn't Princess Dawn have been close to her and her senshi if she was supposed to be marrying Endymion?" Ami asks, as though hoping that would explain Sun and Gemini's actions.

Usagi's eyes well up with tears. "But-But Endymion and I are meant to be together! Chibi-Usa..."

Mamoru comes out of his daze long enough to console Usagi. "Remember? The engagement was broken when I chose you, Usa-ko..."

Usagi hugs Mamoru tightly. "I know but all these horrible things are being said about my mother..."

"How do we know any of these things your saying are true, Meiou-san?" Makoto asks carefully. "You keep talking about brainwashing what if something was done to you?"

"What reason can I give that you'll believe Kino-san?" Setsuna asks in earnest. "I can tell you that I'm the Guardian of Time, and outside the influence of the Sun, Moon and Earth Crystals... but would you believe me?"

"It's hardest for us, I think." Rei says finally. "Most of us have no memories of the past. We've only seen what Serenity-sama and Endymion-sama we're like and how they loved."

"Right." Makoto sighs. "We have no proof. not like the rest of you."

Setsuna accedes this with a nod. "Proof is a strong word though, Kino-san. I cannot prove that what I say is true, only tell you what I remember. More of you remember Serenity as the benevolent ruler. I'll grant that she was, at certain times... But it wasn't all the time, unfortunately. And the Princess was quite adept at getting courtiers to underestimate her, and Jupiter was almost married to Princess Dawn's brother... You only remember the war, not the peace that had reigned for almost a millennium..."

"But we can't remember anything and that's troubling." Rei says as she looks at Setsuna. "Almost as if there is some block..."

"I remember." Hotaru's voice stops Haruka's response in her throat. "Peace is won through under the table deals and a price of blood. The war was well deserved. They have every right to come and take it back in trade if that is their choice."

Setsuna casts a concerned glance at Hotaru, but doesn't say anything. "Hotaru..." Michiru says softly looking at the younger girl.

"...That aside," Haruka says, breathing deeply, "I don't think we should trust the Sun Senshi's intentions. Has anyone talked to them besides Marmoru?"

Minako timidly pipes up. "I did... The day after Rizad attacked... I followed the brother home from school and he fixed dinner and answered any questions I had..." Haruka looks swiftly at Minako but stays quiet.

"What did they say?" Usagi asks urgently. "I want to believe they aren't evil..."

"Well... Everything lined up with Meiou-san's version, but with more insight into the three of them; Dawn, Gemini and him, I mean. When I asked why he was willing to answer my questions, he said that it was because I was willing to ask and he didn't have anything really to lose by answering me to the best of his ability."

Rei seems to soak this in deeply nodding half to herself. "Perhaps that is the answer in of it's self."

"What?" Hakura asked looking angerily at Rei. Setsuna looks on with polite interest.

"We have no connection with our past." Rei says slowly. "Having someone who remembers us better then most... If I ask them to come to the temple, I might be able to shed some insight on these things."

"Can you do that, Rei-chan?" Usagi asked looking at her. "Really?"

"I suggest talking to Kishi... He spent most of his time amidst us, apparently as a prospective suitor... Hikari didn't seem very pleased to have me there, and Nichiko was a rather gracious host for a while... Until Kishi started mentioning... well... things that got too close to Endymion. Then I kinda got politely handed my coat, you know... But anyways, he's also rather adamant about staying out of fights... He was a General on the front lines, it seems, so he's retired as it were to cooking and ikebana (gardening)"

"Hmph." Haruka crosses her arms and leans against the wall.

"Must be nice to make such a break from your former life..." Hotaru murmurs, sounding like her younger self.

"I could try to invite him for tea," Rei suggests thoughtfully.

"I know him..." Mamoru says softly, eyes unfocused as though recalling something. "He was part of the attack on the Earth Palace..." he trails off, his eyes coming back into focus and hardening as his arm around Usagi tightens a little. "He ordered that all resistance be killed... Only it was just the other royals who resisted... The guards all quietly laid down their arms... I saw Kunzite and the others turn themselves over to his command... and he sent them against the senshi who was protecting me long enough to escape the palace..."

"Who was protecting you?" Haruka asks sharply.

"I don't remember... Her voice sounded like it was from far away and garbled through water... and she was in armor... The rest of it was crystal clear... like it happened yesterday, but she was almost completely obscured... I remember her saying something about a princess' orders, but beyond that she was telling me to run away."

"That doesn't sound like any of us," Makoto responds thoughtfully.

"People die in wars," Hotaru replies simply.

"But I thought Kunzite was your friend..." Usagi asks, looking confused again.

"He was..." Mamoru says shortly. "Only he would have the power to order the palace guards to stand down though... Every royal in the palace was slaughtered because they were the only ones to fight."

"There was alot going on that I don't think we fully understand." Rei states, cutting off anyone else's reply. "I agree with Usagi-chan, we should trust them until we are shown that here and now they are not on our side."

Minako hesitantly clears her throat. "Um... Mamoru-kun... It might be better if you steered clear of Nichiko though... for all involved..."

"Agreed, and until things clear up I don't think you should go any where alone," Makoto adds, looking at Usagi.

"Why do you say I need to stay away from her though? She's in my Chemistry class, and I'm her lab partner for the term. It's not like I can get out of that..." Mamoru says, at least somewhat willing to do as suggested, but curious to Minako's motivations.

"Her partner?" Usagi demands, looking at Mamoru slightly angry.

"Um... well... Because... See... when I was having dinner... well... Ithinkshe'sstillinlovewithyou." The explanation finally tumbles out in a nearly incomprehensible rush.

Mamoru coughs slightly, looking away from Usagi. He remembers how he had felt with her in class but the dream came crashing back at him. "I think you're mistaken."

Minako regards him carefully for a long moment before sighing resignedly. "Fine... but when you do have to interact with her, be careful... Gemini already seems barely civil, and if she's as protective as I would be of Usagi if I were the only senshi she had? We don't need to give Gemini reason to come down on us."

"I'll be careful, don't worry." Mamoru calmly explains. "There is nothing to worry about."

"You sure have a lot of people in your past who harbor feelings for you." Makoto mutters softly.

Setsuna shrugs Makoto's comment away. "It's common for those in an arranged marriage situation to develop feelings for their betrothed..."

"I don't trust them. Be on full alert around them." Haruka said firmly, ignoring Setsuna entirely. "Michiru and I will see if we can find any information on our new enemy."

"Right." Mamoru thinks back to the scene in the dream. '_Would she really still love me if I broke her heart?_' he asks himself.

* * *

Disclaimers: AND I'M BACK AT LAST! To whom do you owe this great event? Send all cookies and ice cream and nommy things to "Sake1", who has revitalized this story by running a Sailormoon tabletop RPG for me and several friends... which led to us comparing backstories... which led to us _merging_ the story lines since they were actually fairly compatible. Anyways, glomp her if you like, but she's to thank/blame for my return... and a goodly portion of this chapter, actually.

I do not, as I've long maintained, own Sailormoon or the premise for any of the characters that you will recognize from the anime. Queen Dawn, King Solaris, King Twilight, Princess Dawn/Nichiko "Nikko" Seino/Sailorsun, Princess Estella/Hikari Seino/Gemini, Prince Orion/Kishi Seino, Apollo, the premise for the Sun Kingdom and why everything went to shit in the Silver Millennium (another thing I don't own), the files that the old Queen of Mercury put on Ami Mizuno's computer (someone and something I don't own as well), Setsuna's version of history (though not the character Setsuna Meiou/Sailorpluto, as stated above), the Red Star Crystal, the Black Earth Crystal, and the Zodiac Court (who are listed in the previous chapter if you feel like re-reading that list...).

Sake1 will not escape owning Princess Persephone of Earth, Sailorpolaris, Sailorthuban, Sailoralrai, and Sailorvega. I owe her a great many thanks for helping me integrate them into my story, but they are still her brainchildren. I just have visitation rights.

Read, Review, and Enjoy the Story!

~Slytherin Shaman


	8. Pt 8 North Node in Leo

_Sun raises an eyebrow at the 'traitor' comment. Gemini looks as though she's about to protest but is silenced with one of Sun's perfected sidelong looks. "We thank you. Let's get out of public so we can fill you in with what we know..."_

Thuban nods and gestures for the Solar senshi to precede her to an isolated stand of trees. Thuban and Alrai both make a movement with their hands before going back down to their normal clothes. In a brief flash of light, Nikko and Hikari appear in their civilian clothes as well.

Thuban steps forward. "I go by Arakaki Nana here, and this is Sato Chou." Both girls bow to the Solars.

Nikko looks distinctly uncomfortable before smiling weakly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Seino Nichiko, and this is my younger sister, Seino Hikari." First Nikko, followed by Hikari, bow their heads to the other two girls. "Where shall we go?" Nikko asks, looking mainly to Nana, who she could expect to answer.

"Well... We could go back to the apartment we have with Yuki... Sorry, that's Polaris' name now. But that's an option..." Nana trails off, leaving the suggestion hanging.

Hikari grimaces and looks to Nikko. Nikko meets her sister's eyes and though there's no audible exchange, the sour expression on Hikari's face gives away the content of Nikko's silent message. "More viable than our apartment at the moment... And... Yuki, you said? Yuki should be involved if possible," Nikko says, seeming to speak more as the Crown Princess than anything else. Nana and Chou nod, and Nana gestures for Nikko and Hikari to follow her.

The apartment building that the newcomers apparently lived in isn't too far away from the park where Thuban and Alrai had attacked Usagi and Mamoru, which explained to Nikko and Hikari why they'd been in the area. They walk past various vendors and shops on the street before they head inside the building, one apparently old enough to not have a functioning elevator.

After going up three flights of stairs and walking down the hall to almost the end, Nana clears her throat as they gather outside the apartment door. "It's not very clean, understand. Been on the move a bit."

Hikari and Nikko exchange a look and shrug. "Understandable... Our place was a wreck until we got entirely unpacked..." Nikko responds nonchalantly.

Chou rubs the back of her head giving Nana a look of discomfort. "Well, just so you've been warned." Nana unlocks the door and steps into the cramped apartment. There are boxes piled high in most of the small apartment except from the dining area which is, miraculously, spotless.

"Yuki-sempai, we're home and we brought... guests," Nana calls nervously, though both Hikari and Nikko are confused as to why Nana would be nervous.

A girl who must be Yuki steps into the entryway from the kitchen. She smiles at first then looks pointedly at Chou and Nana before letting out a sound of frustation. "BAKAYARO!" Yuki yells throwing a small plate in the general direction of Nana and Chou's heads, who duck at the right moment. Hikari pulls Nikko behind her reflexively while both watch wide-eyed from out of the line of fire.

"Wha..." Nana starts, straightening up but remaining defensive.

"What did I ask you to do today? The one small task I asked of the two of you?" Yuki growls.

"Ooh... Right... Food," Nana says sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Right! Food so we could eat!" Yuki stomps back to the kitchen angrily. "Do you get food? Nooo! It's not like the market is that far either..." she rants, her voice carrying easily.

"Well, that's the thing. See we saw Serenity and Endymion in the park. It was the perfect chance to attack... then Princess Dawn here-"

"So instead of getting us food so we could eat something _decent_ you two decide not only to attack without command or backup! Then you bring the Sun Court to our home with out calling! That's it! We're having ramen again!" Yuki steps out again, takes a deep breath to calm down then bows respectfully to Nikko and Hikari. "Welcome to our home, Princess."

Both are still wide-eyed, and Nikko is trying desperately to not laugh. Hikari relaxes after a long moment and allows Nikko to step forward for the formalities though. "We're sorry for intruding without any notice... We didn't know you were in the area. Apollo only sensed the Lunars," Nikko says, bowing in return. "My name is Seino Nichiko, and this is my sister, Hikari." Hikari bows as well. "I wish we could've met again under better circumstances."

"It's perfectly fine." Yuki smiles forcefully. "My name is Kinji Yuki. What can we do for you, Seino-sama?"

"Well... As I understand the situation, I have information valuable to you. Imagine my surprise to find that none of you here know that your Princess is alive..."

"What?" Yuki exclaims, straightening up sharply. "Chou, tea!"

Chou nods before walking to the kitchen quietly and Yuki motions for Hikari and Nichiko to the table. Nikko follows Yuki, and Hikari follows Nikko, automatically taking the seat to Nikko's right. "I presume you wish to hear the full story? Or shall I simply stick to the basics?" Nikko asks.

"I think-" Nana begins, grabbing another chair and sitting as well.

"Not now, Mommy and Daddy are talking!" Yuki barks at Nana before forcing a smile back on. "Basics will do for now, Seino-sama."

Hikari politely covers a snicker before Nikko answers. "In Beijing, I and a few others were pursuing clues to the location of Princess Persephone's reincarnation. At my last check, Vega was keeping tabs on her..."

"What?" Yuki asks, looking livid, as Chou sets down tea cups for the group. "The traitor?" Chou looks angrier then she had before as she pours tea before walking purposefully from the room.

"That was my reaction too," Nana mutters as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Well... that explains why Kishi insisted I stay with Tau Ceti and San Feng when I was working with Vega," Nikko says, her tone dry. "Tau Ceti and... I believe _your_ Knight, Kinji-san, are with Persephone as well."

"I wonder if the princess knows what that bitch did to us." Nana says looking into her tea cup.

"If you don't mind my asking," Hikari ventures, speaking for the first time and an odd glint in her eyes, "what sort of betrayal are we talking about here?"

"It's a bit of a story," Yuki sighs. "As you know most royals during the Silver years only had one child or multiple births at one time. But the Earth Queen did have such a blessed event..." Yuki looks down into her tea. "So they called for a seer, as it _was_ the thing to do. The Seer told them that their son would never rule so when the Sun Kingdom came calling they were more then willing to agree to the terms hoping it would bring things to order. If all else failed, they had the Princess to rule instead."

Hikari nods, being well aware of the history. She casts a worried glance at Nikko, who's gone tensely blank. Though she notices the silent exchange and understands Hikari's concern, Yuki continues, "So marrige contracts for the princess were being written up a day later, so everything seemed normal-"

"Princess wasn't completely happy with the whole marrying thing anyways given-"

"Nana, you're talking again, see to it." Yuki orders, snapping. "Everything seemed normal when we were called to the throne room. We all assumed it was new debriefing on the next marrige contract... but no one was there. We were locked in." The Three Earth Senshi go quiet for a long moment, as if remembering is more of a trial for their nerves. "After a very trying time of breaking out of the one place made to be the last stand of the Earth Palace we found our Princess murdered."

"By the same weapon that was used by Princess Rhea... Not _terribly_ surprising, given she was their hired gun," Nana almost growls. "It made perfect sense."

"And imagine our surprise when we went to report it to the royal family and they had no knowledge of having a daughter, informing the four of us we were just 'palace gaurds'," Yuki grips her tea cup tightly in anger. "So we had a talk with the Shitenou about if we should join the rebellion or not."

"The Shitenou decided to stay and gather more intel on what had happened to the royal family, because they still had the prince to protect. The three of us," Yuki nods to indicate Nana and Chou, "decided to join Queen Beryal while Vega -" Yuki spits the name much as Hikari did the names of her former guardians or as any of the Seino siblings did the name Queen Serenity, " - gave herself to the service of the Moon Kingdom," she adds angrily.

Hikari herself goes slightly tense at the mention of the Shitenou. It's Nikko's turn then to glance at Hikari with concern. "Why would she do that? Especially if she knew that the Moon Queen had signed Persephone's death warrant?" Nikko asks, her eyes not leaving her sister.

"She never explained herself, not to us anyways. Simply said it was her choice and the rest of us could jump off a cliff for all she cared."

Hikari pulls herself out of her thoughts. "Resa did the same thing... only she was able to pull the rest of the guard with her... Though at least _she_ didn't turn herself over to the Moon B-" Nikko casts her a sharp, silencing look before Hikari can say the epithet, so Hikari quickly coughs and corrects herself. "Er... Moon Queen..."

"Right, should be thankful that Polaris has always guided us with an iron fist then," Nana teases but stopped smiling when Yuki shot her a dark look.

"I am sorry about the lack of strength in your guard, Seino-sama." Yuki bows her head slightly.

Nikko nods stiffly. "It's truly a shame that the Queen's Guard chose their successors so poorly... But we _had_ been expecting peace..."

"It's always a pity." Yuki continued. "So is there anything we can do to repay you for the details of the princess' location?"

Nikko and Hikari glance at each other, which seems to exchange more than simple eye-contact. Nikko turns back to Yuki, while Hikari averts her eyes, looking somewhat sullen. "We need help breaking the spell Queen Serenity placed on the Lunar and En- Terran Courts... There are two ways it can be done, but only one is viable. According to Apollo's reports, the Moon Princess has shown that she only has limited use of the Moon Crystal. Therefore, we need to return the Earth Crystal to - " she hesitates briefly, "the heir of the Golden Kingdom," she finishes, deciding that was the most ambiguous way to say it.

"Too right." Yuki nods slightly before exchanging a look with Nana. "So one might ask if someone named Rizad has made an appearance as of yet."

"He attacked almost four days ago... He was trying to get the Silver Moon Crystal from Princess Serenity..." Hikari looks about ready to say something, but is silenced again by Nikko's sharp look.

"So he went forward as we thought." Yuki says, almost to herself. "Typical."

"Has he tried to say anything to you, Seino-sama?" Nana asks, raising an eyebrow.

Nikko shakes her head. "He only referred to me as 'Lady Sun' and promised that the Moon Crystal would be his before he disappeared..."

"Never changes." Nana mutters darkly.

"Becareful of him, Seino-sama." Yuki says carefully. "I'm sure you've noticed he has the Earth Crystal."

"Though that's not the only reson for concern." Nana adds.

"I'd wondered if that wasn't the case, given how much power he had over the Lunar senshi's attacks..."

"It's a fair guess. We've been fallowing his movements for a while hoping he'd lead us too..." Nana jumps slightly as if she'd been kicked under the table as Yuki sips her tea slowly.

"The point is we know his movements." Yuki says softly. "Now that he knows you are close by, I'd be careful of your safety, Seino-sama. Nana and I will add ourselves to your gaurd if that is alright."

"After all, he's-" Nana gives a dark look at Chou who looks carefully at the table.

Hikari, again, looks about to protest but is silenced again. "We would be very grateful... However, given that I have class with - Endymion's reincarnation, it would look... less than good if he saw her," her eyes flick to Nana, "hanging around me, as I'm sure the rest of the Lunar Court knows about their ill-fated assault on their princess by now... I would rather not have a reprisal of the end of the Silver Millennium."

"Nana-chan will be in the wings, as it were," Yuki says, giving the other two earth senshi death glares. "As being the one and only unseen I can complete the task rather well."

"Hikari would be most appreciative, I'm sure... Wouldn't you Hikari-imouto?" Nikko asks, with a pointed look to her sister that said there was only one real way for Hikari to answer the question.

Hikari bows her head. "Yes. The help would be much appreciated."

"Also," Nikko adds, satisfied with Hikari's response, "if you find yourself in need of a good meal, I'm sure our brother would be happy to oblige you."

"We might take you up on that." Yuki smiles. "Chou needs to start packing of course to find and return our Princess but we might stop by for that."

"She should be warned though, right?" Nana asks, causing both Yuki and Chou to rub their temples.

"Since you can't keep your mouth shut about it, why not, Baka?" Yuki says as her knuckles turn white from squeezing her cup tightly.

"Rizad is going to try and turn you to his side of things." Nana said quickly.

Nikko raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Really?" She allows herself a short, mirthless laugh. "And what does he think he has that can persuade me?"

"Besides being crazy?" Nana shrugs slightly. "A hatred long and hard for the Moon and his cousin Endymion. He has power and he has a wierd thing for you."

Nikko sighs in resignation. "Well... Unfortunately for him, I can't hate them... Nor will I see the Prince harmed in any way." Her expression turns self-deprecating. "As your friends found out this afternoon, yes?" Nikko asks, glancing between Nana and Chou.

"I do wish to express my full contempt for their brash actions. But there is a bit of us from the past still at the surface that is a bit harder to surpress, as I'm sure you're both aware." Yuki bows. "They want blood payment."

"While I can understand, and even sympathize with the wrong done unto you in the past, I cannot support punishing those who were simply enchanted," Nikko says, standing firm. "I do not ask that you completely change your minds, but withhold judgment until after the spell is broken."

"We will hold back," Yuki agrees, nodding. "Until the spell is broken. I give you my word as the head of the Princess' Gaurd."

Nikko smiles wanly. "Your forebearance will not go unappreciated, on my honor as Crown Princess of the Sun Kingdom."

Yuki nods. "Thank you."


	9. Pt 9 Venus in Conjunction with Mars

Minako hadn't had true cause to effectively use most of her investigative skill since she'd joined the senshi. SailorV is back for a stealth appearance though, and Minako watches and waits with baited breath in the lobby of the Seino's apartment building for both Hikari and Nichiko to be gone at the same time. It's a decided long shot to try to corner him on this particular day, since school isn't in session and his sisters had no obvious reason to leave their home. It's almost lunch by the time both are finally gone, and her stomach had just started making the odd gurgling noise in protest of its emptiness.

Not wasting a moment of the opportunity afforded by the girls' absence, she takes the stairs two at a time to their floor and dashes down the hall to knock on the door. Within a few short moments, the door cracks open, the occupant sighing resignedly before realizing who he had on his doorstep.

"Aino-san! This is a pleasant surprise... What brings you here?" Kishi glances uneasily down the hall towards the nearest stairwell, nervous that his sisters could reappear at any moment.

"I wanted to invite you to tea... Today," Minako answers, casting an anxious glance in the same direction herself. She turns back to Kishi, looking hopeful.

He frowns, turning back to meet her gaze. "You know... this is highly unconventional, a young _woman_ asking a _man_ to accompany her. It goes against everything I've been taught is proper." His serious tone is made a lie by the laughing sparkle in his eyes. Minako's initial worry transforms quickly into a bright smile.

"Please? I'd really like to spend more time with you," she pleads, hoping this final appeal will get an actual agreement from the reticent Sun Prince.

Despite her apparent sincerity, Kishi sighs, seeming to know something she didn't say. "Alright Aino-san. You can take me to your friend's for tea, but I want a real date later."

Minako's eyes widen, surprised that her cover was suddenly blown for no readily apparent reason. She then kicks herself in her head for having forgotten that the royal family of the Sun had powers of the mind, and Kishi had already demonstrated his telepathic prowess by picking her name from her thoughts those few days ago. She chuckles, wryly and mostly to herself. "Very well. I'll agree to that."

The pair enjoy the peaceful walk to Hikawa Temple, though their conversation was anything but indifferent.

"Didn't you say that one of your friends was interested in ikebana and cooking as well? Is that who we're seeing?" Kishi asks, primarily hoping to gather information while ensuring the silence did not get awkward.

"No. We're going to see Rei, Mars' reincarnation. It's Makoto that does the cooking and gardening... She's Jupiter's reincarnation," Minako replies, but immediately regrets answering so glibly as the temperature abruptly drops and Kishi's smile takes on a forced aspect.

"Ah... Right... Jupiter." Minako cringes at the strained tone in his voice.

"I'm sorry. Look. If it makes any difference, I won't bring up anything you're not comfortable talking about. We, the inner senshi, want to know more about the Silver Millennium, and what all happened. Haruka and Michiru remember more than most of us, but they're angry at you and your sisters. Setsuna's upset at Haruka and Michiru and she seems to take your side, and Hotaru only goes into her crazy trance-like state and speaks in riddles about blood and war, which is more than a little disturbing... Rei, Makoto, Ami and I? We don't know what to think... We want answers we can't get."

"And what does your princess and Chiba Mamoru think?" Kishi asks, his tone surprisingly neutral. Minako is briefly baffled by the use of the name, but again remembers that Nichiko had class with Mamoru.

"Usagi wants to know the truth... but she's upset at the idea that the queen had anything to do with causing the war, and doesn't want to believe it... As for Mamoru... it seems like he changes his mind from day to day..." Minako's voice trails away as she wonders at the prince's disparate reactions.

"That's not terribly surprising," Kishi responds, a cryptic and wry half-smile on his face. Minako opens her mouth to ask further, but a crow's cry over head startles her into silence. Both look upwards, espying the black bird overhead. Bemused, Minako realizes that they were almost to the temple.

"Come on... We're almost there." Kishi wisely remains silent as Minako takes a one-step lead and turns to take the many stairs to the temple.

When they reach the top of the stairs, the pair find Rei sweeping, her red miko skirt swishing around her sandaled feet. A crow wings over her head, calling out again and Rei looks up to follow its flight. As it alights in a tree, Rei turns back with a slight smile to greet her visitors.

"Welcome. Minako-chan, you know the usual room. I'll be there in a moment with the tea." Kishi smiles and gives the priestess an appraising look that Minako doesn't quite like, the almost foreign feeling of jealousy settling unpleasantly in her stomach. Her stomach growls audibly, hunger not mixing well with envy.

The noise does draw Kishi's attention away from Rei though, and he offers her his arm in escort with a knowing look that makes Minako wish she'd closed her jacket. Anxious to distract herself, Minako asks, "So? What do you think?"

Kishi smiles sidelong at her as she leads him through the temple. "I think I should've gotten more than one date out of you for this," he answers, his tone dry but a laughing glint still in his eyes. At ease once again, Minako laughs.

* * *

_She hated these visits. Oh yes, she was a princess and Lady to Her Royal Highness, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, and thus expected to marry well. However, that didn't mean that she, Princess Minerva Kasei of Mars, had to like it._

_"His highness, Prince Orion Helios of the Sun Kingdom," the Herald announced, stepping to one side as the doors swung open. Confidently, the red-haired prince strode in and completed the initial formalities of his visit on the red planet._

_..._

_This time was her own. The circle was her own place. Maybe it was foolish of her to prepare for war when peace abounded, but Minerva liked the discipline and escape it provided. She trained in full kozane armor, yet the brightly lacquered scales of leather and metal made little sound as she moved in the kata._

_Abruptly, her katana stops mid-strike, steel upon steel clanging harshly to disturb the peace of the practice circle. Violet eyes stared incredulously at the curved tachi that had blocked her blade, then narrowed as they followed the blade to the bronzed hand, to the blood-red sleeve, up to the gold epaulets, and then to the smirking face with emerald eyes._

_"Good day to you too, Princess," Orion Helios said in greeting, his jovial tone at odds with his battle-ready posture. If Minerva wanted to, she could strike, but he would be ready for her, no matter what his tone would have her believe._

_"What are you doing here?" she demanded, irritated by his interruption. _

_"Seeking peace, Princess. I am sure you can understand that desire," he responded. And Minerva did. Somehow, she understood, as intrinsically as if they had spend a year of afternoons discussing it, that they both wanted more than this scripted act they were born to play in, wanted to stop but their puppeteers would not set down their strings._

_Slowly, she stepped away from him and bowed respectfully, sheathing her katana. "Then perhaps you would enjoy a walk through the paths in the mediation garden?" she offers coolly. Almost immediately, she wished she had offered to escort him, but she knew why he was here, and she could not countenance being part of it unless she had to. Courtly politics were a battlefront she avoided if possible, and arranged marriages were the worst of such conflicts... No, the Sun Prince would need to find another to be his queen._

_He bowed, his genial smile turned cold by the stony look in his eyes. "Thank you kindly for your advice, Princess."_

* * *

Rei comes out of her trance with a gasp which goes unheard by the girls bickering in the next room. Ami's calm and logical voice tries to cut over Usagi's confused whine and Makoto's angry rebuttals, and Minako is tellingly silent.

Despite herself, she smiles. Some things would never change, no matter how many revolutionary ideas were lain before her. Wishing to avoid wading into the fray just a few moments longer, Rei pads quietly to the kitchen to make more tea and find more cakes. She catches herself before she yelps her surprise at seeing Minako sitting on a counter.

"Sorry, Rei-chan... I can't think with those three rambling around me..." Minako says, hopping down after Rei's quickly suppressed squeak of shock.

"I don't blame you," Rei replies, going through the motions of her errand without needing to think about it.

"Any luck in your meditation?" Minako asks as she leans back against the counter.

"Actually, yes..." Rei responds, almost chagrined. "I saw one of Orion's visits to Mars..." she adds, confused as to how she felt about it.

"And?" Minako prompts, eager to hear more. "Did it bear him out?"

"What he was willing to tell us anyways..." Rei replies, irritation at Kishi's coercive tactics coming out.

"Oh, a date with him won't be too bad," Minako retorts, smiling. Rei glowers at her, skepticism rampant from the arch of one eyebrow to the downward turn of one corner of her mouth. With almost ruthless efficiency, Rei loads a tray with the tea and snacks and, with one final scowl, leaves to deliver the tray.

"For someone who professes a lack of interest in fighting political battles, he sure does play up the courtly love aspect of it..." Rei grumbles before describing the vision she'd received to Minako, who quickly follows the priestess.

"It makes me almost feel sorry for him, being paraded around like that..." Minako says as Rei opens the door to the room where Ami, Makoto and Usagi were still arguing.

"I suppose it explains -" Rei starts, trailing off after entering and setting the tray down only to have Usagi descend upon it like a starving man instead of the well-fed teenager she is.

"Explains what, Rei-chan?" Minako prompts, oddly eager to hear what Rei had to say about Kishi and Orion. Rei turns to face Minako, her mouth open to respond, but a look of confusion settles on her face, and then something akin to distress.

"I can't remember..." Rei murmurs, her voice carrying a small tremor of fear borne of uncertainty. "I had it in my head, and then it vanished..."

Minako frowns as Makoto and Ami make a confused fuss. "Usagi-chan... stand back a minute." Despite making a noise of protest, and scooping up several cookies to munch on in her half-exile from the snack tray, Usagi retreats to the other side of the room. "Rei-chan?" Minako asks, kneeling to bring her face level with Rei's as she blocks Usagi from view.

Rei's confusion clears, and she nods. "It explains why he extorted those dates out of us... Maybe we should just let them be..." Ami, echoed by Makoto, demand to know what explained this, and Rei retells the vision of the Silver Millennium.

Minako turns to glance at Usagi, who seems to be put out that she had to practically leave the room to hear. "Usagi-chan... I'm sorry. Let's try an experiment here. Ami-chan? We know that when I blocked the line of sight between Rei and Usagi, Rei was able to remember the memory she found, yes?

"It does stand to reason..." Ami concedes, typing the data into her computer.

"So Rei-chan, keep thinking about that memory, And I'll move to see if it disappears again." Rei acknowledges this and grits her teeth, as though clenching her jaw would allow her to hold the memory tighter, as Minako stands up and moves to one side.

The moment Usagi's line of sight on Rei is reestablished, Rei makes an infuriated sound, clenching her fists and pounding the floor in frustration. Quickly, Minako steps back between Usagi and Rei. "Okay... That answers that," she says quietly.

"This isn't fair!" Usagi cries out. "It's not my _fault_ this is happening and I'm not sure we _need_ to remember anything. Why can't we just take them at their word?" A long and awkward silence follows Usagi's outburst. Cautiously, all four girls gather around their princess.

"I just want to be _sure_..." Rei says slowly, meeting Usagi's eyes.

"It's not about 'need', Usagi-chan..." Ami adds gently, tentatively putting an arm around Usagi's shoulders.

"We _want_ to remember," Makoto says, continuing the line of thought. Minako sits on the other side of Usagi from Ami, pensively looking at all her friends.

"We don't blame you, Usagi-chan... but we've grown so much in power, yet we're still shackled, unable to advance that one last step to being the rightful queens we are... Why? There are no queens ahead of us, holding us down, so it must be something holding us back. This could be the last thing we need to finally come into our own." Minako's quiet speech rallies the group, even cheering Usagi some.

"I can put up some wards that will allow Usagi to come closer without hindering our ability to remember," Rei suggests.

"I would suggest, given how much we've been talking about him, that we focus our efforts on trying to remember Prince Orion..." Ami recommends further. With nods all around, they set to work.

* * *

_She huffed in irritation. She had things to do and guard shifts to oversee. She didn't have time to play political games with the Sun, even if they _would_ be more powerful than the Moon Kingdom with their forthcoming alliance and merger with the Golden Kingdom. Her pride in her Kingdom did not allow for arrogance as the Captain of the Junior Royal Guard, and the Sun Kingdom could be a threat enough on its own without their ally being right next to the Seat of the Moon Kingdom._

_"Eve... Your temper's showing..." her mother, Queen Freya Kinsei of Venus, murmured under her breath, somehow audible even across the room at her own desk. This quiet rebuke brings the Venusian Princess back to the matter at hand._

_"Fine... Let him in..." she said, barely keeping the resentment out of her voice. Quickly, she neatened her desk of her paperwork and came around the other side of it to greet her guest._

_He entered then, his green eyes bright with bemusement. "Forgive me. I was sent to Magellan Castle, only to be informed that you were here... Had I known the vision of beauty that would greet me, I would have followed you here sooner, Princess Kinsei," Prince Orion said with a courtly bow. Eve, knowing the steps, extended her hand. He took it in his own, and kisses the air over her hand. Years of discipline kept the blush from staining her cheeks._

_"Prince Helios, I accept your apology and offer my own. I perhaps should have let it be generally known that I spend most of my time at the Moon Palace."_

* * *

_"Cousin!" Arcadia Suisei of Mercury turned at the familiar call, easily spotting Orion Helios' red hair._

_"Orion!" she called back, waving a hand overhead. "What brings you to Atrium Caloris?" she asked when her cousin was within arms reach._

_"Oh you know Dawn. Maia-ba-sama sent us that work order for maintenance on the shield generator, and Dawn absolutely _insisted_ on overseeing it... More likely she's taken over the whole project and found several more things that 'need' doing by now, but Ok__ā__-sama isn't supposed to know that." Orion responded, smiling as he bent to kiss Arcadia's cheek. "You're looking radiant as ever, Arcadia. Are you _sure_ we can't run away? Tau Ceti's nice this time of year..." he suggested in a whisper that brushed her ear. Arcadia blushed fit to match her cousin's hair._

_"But we're _cousins_!" Arcadia cried, scandalized and pulling away from him quickly. Orion laughed, bringing the realization to Arcadia that he was again teasing her for that exact reaction. She scowled and hit his arm with her book, which he took in good humor._

* * *

_"It could be worse, you know?" Juno Mokusei turned and saw the cause of her present sulk. Drawing her knees up to her chest on the small bench in the palace garden, she turned back to the cherry tree that had held her attention._

_"How exactly?" she asked sourly. She didn't acknowledge Orion Helios as he moved to take the seat next to her on the bench until a red and gold flask came into her vision, attached to his hand._

_"It could be someone who wants to take advantage of you," he suggested, his green eyes reflecting her present feelings almost exactly._

* * *

With a long and suffering sigh, Kishi returns to his apartment, grateful to see that Hikari and Nikko hadn't come back from trying to locate Rizad with Nana and Yuki. He looks into the kitchen, contemplating cooking, but decides against it, as he didn't know when his sisters would return, or if their new cohorts would be joining them as Nikko had threatened. Instead, he puts water on to heat, a digital thermometer set to go off when it reaches the appropriate heat, and finds the green tea powder. While the water is still heating, he slips into his room and opens his closet.

The various paintings he had hidden in there make him sigh, wishing that Hikari wouldn't think that her art was a waste of time. He'd sold a few over the last two years, to feed his habits without his sisters or parents knowing, but kept most of them, and had several hanging about the apartment in the hopes that Hikari might one day come back to them. He reaches into a box on the top shelf, nearly out of reach, and pulls out a bottle labeled in simplified chinese characters.

After checking how much is left by holding the brown glass up to the light, he nods and unscrews the cap. Just as he's about to take a pull from the bottle, he hears the thermometer alarm going off. With a regretful sigh, he closes his closet, and heads back to the kitchen.

Making the tea is short work, and blending in the yellowish-brown liquid from the brown bottle takes an extra moment as he has to find a glass large enough. He takes both the tea and the bottle with him out on to the balcony. He allows himself to smile at the greenery he'd managed to coax into a living curtain from the world. The camellias, crocuses, and snowdrops had suffered no ill in moving from Kyoto, and the hydrangea vines made a beautiful scented screen where he could hide from everything, even his sisters.

Unbidden, the thought of his siblings (primarily the problems involving them) turns his mood sour, so he downs the several gulps left in the bottle, and pulls it away with barely a cough. Recapping the now empty bottle, he fumbles with a few potted pussy willows and places the dead soldier among comrades. The two plants hide the stash of glass bottles well, but he makes a note to take them down to the recycler if the girls weren't home by the time he finishes his laced tea.

'_No point in running the risk of them seeing how many I've racked up. They both have enough to worry about..._' he thinks, sitting in the chair he'd put out there specifically for this purpose. Leisurely sipping at his drink, he leans back and lets the warm feeling wash away the world

* * *

_**Disclaimer:** As usual, I own nothing but my OCs and the drama-riddled history I've given the universe. Most everything else belongs to Takeuchi Naoko-sama. Again, much credit to Sake1 for kicking my ass to keep writing (even if it has been over a year since my last update... SORRY!) and to my mom for helping me make sure everything made sense._

_I promise it'll be less than a year to get chapter 10 up! Really! I'm working on it already! Swear!_

_Read, Review, and Have Good Dharma,  
Marina the Slytherin Shaman_


	10. Pt 10 Cardinal Quadrangle

"You'd think all these youma would have a purpose beyond causing havoc," Thuban mutters resentfully as she and Gemini dispatch their youma.

"SOLAR FLARE!" Sun shouts at the same time as Polaris calls out, "AURORA BLAST!" turning the last youma to frozen ashes.

"It's more likely just a tactic to draw out the Lunars in order to get Moon weakened so Rizad can take the Silver Crystal from her," Gemini responds, gaining a nod of agreement from Polaris.

"Still, we're finding more the farther along this trail we go, so that seems to indicate we're on the right track... I just hope none of the others jump ahead of us..." Sun says, but Thuban, Gemini and Polaris share a look that expresses just how much they wish any of the Lunars (but some in particular) would run into Rizad before they did.

If Sun notices this shared expression, she gives no sign of it as she tilts her head to one side, then the other. Almost out of habit, her companions stand stalk still and clear their minds of any thought other than finding Rizad. Sun may not be a mystic or have a spiritual sense to help her find odd presences, but telepathy had its myriad uses, and Sun is nothing if not a very skilled telepath. "This way," she directs, pointing and taking off with her protectors close on her heels.

* * *

Near Tokyo Tower, Uranus and Neptune bite back curses as they attempt to deal with the shadow-youma that Rizad summoned to his aid. The youma were easily disbursed, several at a time even to each attack thrown, but no sooner is one batch killed than another takes its place.

Neptune cartwheels over to join her lover and demands crossly of Uranus, "Are we done fighting with Saturn and Pluto _yet_?" Uranus scowls and tosses off another World Shaking, not willing to admit that the thought had crossed her mind of reconciling with the remaining Outer senshi long enough to deal with the matter at hand.

"Because I'm ready when you are, love," Neptune adds pointedly, a Deep Submerge crashing into a couple dozen youma and destroying them.

"Rizad wants the Princess. You know Pluto and Saturn won't be the only ones to respond if we call for help," Uranus responds, covering her reluctance with somewhat sound reasoning. Neptune accepts it though, nodding and ducking around Uranus. They launch dual attacks in opposite directions.

From above them, Rizad smirks, watching in amusement as the two senshi continued wasting their time with these little pawns of his. "As much as I'd love to stay and see you get desperate enough to call for aid, I'm afraid my intended has found my trail. I hope you'll enjoy these instead," he calls down before vanishing into shadows. Three small objects fall from where he'd perched and scatter small beads on the ground. Each shadow gets a bead, and crackling power engulfs them; lightning, ice, fire and tree bark forming an armor over the previously formless youma.

Uranus struggles to figure out how deal with the powered-up monsters _and_ what Rizad had meant by 'his intended'. It clicks together when Neptune turns to her, eyes wide with mirrored fear.

"The Princess!"

* * *

_The black cotton wool clouding her brain slowly cleared, and she blinks aware of her surroundings. Sunshine is warm on her skin and the sound of children playing mingles with the rustling of leaves over head._

_"Enjoy your nap, my dear?"_

_The voice makes her heart stop in her chest and tears spring to her eyes. Endymion smiles down at her, and she realizes exactly where she is. She sits up abruptly, taking in the sight of a small group of red- and black-haired children playing happily in the only too familiar palace gardens of the Tourmaline Palace. Beside her on that favorite bench is Endymion, unchanged from her memory and regarding her with something akin to amused affection. '_This can't be real..._' she thinks, stunned._

_"But it can be, Lady Sun..." _

_A shiver runs down her spine at Rizad's easy comment and the world slows to a stop around her. She turns towards where his voice had come from and sees the vaguely human form that he'd taken. "I can make it all real if you help me. The crystals are the reason for the fall of the Silver Millennium. If you help me get the Moon Crystal, give me the Star Crystal... I can put everything back the way it was..."_

_His words are like honey and warm milk, a balm on her battered heart. Her eyes take in the children playing, a boy and a girl easily identifiable by their clothes as her children - hers and Endymion's. For a moment, her hand drifts up to the ruby-like pendant on her necklace, fingers lightly caressing the facets._

_'_But what if he loved Serenity without the Silver Crystal's spell?_' she asks herself, the nasty voice of self-doubt nagging and tearing at her spirit. A crushing darkness unrelated to Rizad sweeps over her, chilling her to the bone. The too-vivid world swirls to black and-_

* * *

Usagi, in a moderately more cheerful mood after the meeting at Rei's earlier for having indulged herself in ice cream, walks between shops on her way home, window shopping and humming her favorite Aino Minako song. Without warning, the ground rocks beneath her. Usagi staggers but keeps her feet. The earthquake continues shaking in waves though, eerily familiar to her but she finds herself unable to place it. She pulls out her communicator phone and opens it, thinking to contact the other senshi to find out what was going on, but it rings before she could press a button.

"Usagi!" Minako's voice assaults her ear as soon as she answered the call. "What the hell are you doing!? I know you're not happy we can't get any of your memories but -"

"It wasn't me! I was just shopping!" Usagi insists, cutting her friend off, her petulant tone becoming slightly distressed as the waves of quakes got stronger.

Minako utters a long and colorful oath that made Usagi wonder where she'd heard such language. "Okay... where are you?" she asks, in the end, and Usagi answers her. "Get to Makoto's. She's closest to you. Go there. _Stay_ there. Ami and Makoto will watch over you while Rei and I go check out what's going on."

Usagi hears Rei, Ami and Makoto respond positively to the orders, leaving Usagi feeling a little put out again while Rei and Minako click off the call. "Usagi-chan?" Ami queries, seeming to sense her uneasiness.

"I'll see you at Makoto's. We can talk there," Usagi responds, forcing a falsely cheerful tone into her reply.

* * *

"_DAWN!_" Gemini shouts, buffeted by the light, wind and fire surrounding her sister and the ground rocking beneath her. Squinting her eyes, she is able to see Sun's face, a contorted mask of anguished pain and fiery rage that the Sun Kingdom royals were known for.

Gemini notes the four figures now aiding Polaris and Thuban, and quickly tamps down her own temper. The other Zodiacs had waited for millennia for their judgement, a few minutes more would not make a difference either way. The Zodiac Commander is glad only to see one of them, the opalescent armor unmistakeable for anyone else.

"_DAWN!_" she yells again, fighting for each step towards her twin.

"I will always protect him..." Gemini hears the promise over the sound of raging wind and flame, and the tone spoke not of Nikko, or even Sun. With a final push, Gemini staggers into the relative calm at the center of the fiery tempest and gapes at what she sees.

Gone are the light colors of a summer day, replaced now with the vivid colors of the Sun Kingdom. Red bows and crinoline stand out like ruby fire against candlelight yellow. Golden pearls trim her waist, the tops of her gloves, and strands of them are strung in her hair like threads of golden flame against the cherry coal glow of her hair. Her eyes flicker like the blue hearts of a flame. The change is topped off by a simple red and gold scepter in her right hand that made Gemini's heart both stop and leap to her throat. The royal scepter was not something she was likely to forget.

Sun raises the scepter overhead and the flame, light and wind whorl and condense to its head, becoming a small orb of ruby sunlight. The world goes eerily quiet as everything seems to collapse inwards to that sphere. Wordlessly, the scepter comes down, aimed at Rizad and uncaring of those allies surrounding him, and the blast is unlike anything Gemini had seen her sister unleash in training.

Anything within five meters of the path of the blast burst into flames. The explosion at impact with Rizad results in a shower of glass and fiery debris as the shock wave shatters the windows around them and rains down small bits of molten material. Gemini is thrown to the ground as the earth shudders violently.

With ringing ears and a pounding head, the Zodiac Commander picks herself up from the pavement and surveys the situation. Thuban and Polaris find their feet while the cardinal zodiacs around them struggle to do the same. Both Rizad and her sister were gone, the latter brings more anxiety even as the former brings relief. Carefully, she makes her way over to where Rizad had been, and offers a hand to the white-haired girl in nacre armor without a second thought.

"Polaris, Thuban, follow the sound of flute music. I'll catch up with you," Gemini says, and the Terran senshi take off running with only a nod of acknowledgement. The commander casts a sidelong glance at the senshi she'd just assisted up from the pavement and says quietly, "Sailorcancer... Good to see you again."

Cancer offers a half-smile in return and moves to stand with the other three girls as the slight clench of Gemini's hand commands her to. Blue eyes turn to chips of azure ice as she regards the senshi before her. Cancer takes her place in the back of the formation, causing Gemini to scowl. In front of Cancer, in white and grey, Libra looks uncomfortable, but trying to hide it. Beside Cancer, in white and dark green, Capricorn offers Cancer a sad smile before looking back down at her white boots, radiating a shame that Gemini finds pleasing. Unrepentant beside Libra and very much identifying herself as the leader of the small group, Aries is clad in white and bright red, standing tall and daring to meet her estranged Commander's eyes.

A snarl twists Gemini's lips as she speaks. "I don't have time to deal with you, much as I'd _love_ to... And even if I could, it is the Princess's place to render her judgement before I mete out any punishment... Princess Dawn is not here, nor will we deal with you as you hide behind a small contingent. Go back from whence you came, and _all of you_ must present yourselves to the Princess and your commander."

She snaps her eyes to the back of the formation. "Cancer," she almost barks, causing all four before her to start. "Make sure they do _as ordered_," Gemini says, then makes a dismissive gesture.

"Yes, Commander," Cancer responds formally, smiling despite the harsh manner in which her former friend had spoken. Orders given and accepted, Gemini turns on her heel and runs after Polaris and Thuban, chasing the fading sound of a mournful flute's song.

* * *

_**Disclaimer:**__ See! It _was_ less than a year for me to get this up! Okay, so a month isn't spectacular on the time schedule, but I should be able to wrap this up by New Years if I keep up this pace. That's a good thing, right? Gads I have no idea how those people with weekly updates _do_ it!_

_As usual, I own nothing but my OCs and the drama-riddled history I've given the universe. Most everything else belongs to Takeuchi Naoko-sama. Again, much credit and thanks to Sake1 for her infinite patience in helping me sort things out and to my mom for helping me make sure everything made sense._

_Chapter 11 will get done soon! Things are finally spiraling the way I want, and as long as Nikko doesn't throw me another curve ball like she did in this chapter, I should be fine. Teehee!_

_Read, Review, and Have Good Dharma,_

_Marina the Slytherin Shama_


	11. Pt 11 Lunar Eclipse

Usagi stares into her tea, the milk still making billowing clouds in the brown liquid. Ami could see that Usagi was trying to not be sullen, but she fails spectacularly with the slow stirring of the spoon as Makoto busied herself in the kitchen.

None of them were used to waiting. Though they were all different, every senshi didn't want to just stand by and wait for news to come in. Ami hears Makoto flick her communicator closed and sigh heavily. Usagi does the same not long after that.

"Usagi-chan..." Ami says quietly. "What's wrong?"

"It doesn't make sense… If we trust them, and I _do_ want to trust them, then we have to accept that Queen Serenity abused her power and everything we've known for the last two years is tainted by it. If we don't trust them, then they're no better than Beryl or the Dark Moon Family, or even Chaos. I don't see a way to make them both meet in the middle," Usagi responds quietly. "And if we've been wrong? What does this mean for the future we've already seen?

Ami ponders the problem for a long, quiet moment, taking a thoughtful sip from her cup. "Usagi-chan… Those events will come to pass… It might not be the same way, but Chibi-Usa will be one of your descendants, and Crystal Tokyo will be ruled by Neo-Queen Serenity… Maybe that's not you without this spell, maybe it is… As for what to do about the information now," Ami pauses, taking another drink of tea, covering for some time. "I suppose we'll have to wait until the spell can be lifted to figure that out, no?"

"But what if I don't…" Usagi starts, but trails off, troubled.

"What if you don't love Mamoru then?" Makoto asks, taking a seat at the table. "I was engaged to the Sun Prince before… I'm not about to forsake Motoki just because of that. If the spell breaks and neither of you are in love with each other anymore, then you'll find someone you do love. It's not a terrible thing, Usagi-chan," Makoto concludes, hands wrapped protectively around the rose-printed tea cup.

"I wish there were some way to know for sure if it was all the spell…" Usagi murmurs. "I wish I could find out right now…" she continues, gaining volume and vehemence. Makoto and Ami exchange a worried glance.

"Usagi, we will find out… soon…" Makoto placates, sounding none too sure of herself.

"No!" Usagi exclaims, slamming her cup down on the table and rattling the rest of the china.

"Usagi!" Ami gasps as shimmering moonlight starts to emit from Usagi's broach, but Usagi rails on.

"I want to know what's going on _right now_!" she declares with a childish stamp of her foot, and the light becomes blinding, filling the room.

The silvery glow fades, and Usagi blinks several times, unable to believe that she no longer sat on Makoto's couch. The bench is one she remembers well from what few memories she had of her past life, but it had never been looking upon the pale ruins of the Moon Palace. She bites her lip, uncertain of why her desperate attempt to regain her memories had brought her here.

The soft rustling of silk beside her draws her attention and her jaw drops at the sight of Queen Serenity, looking as she ever did in her white gown and silvered hair, sitting next to her. "Hello again, my dear..." the queen says softly.

"I don't understand..." Usagi starts, trailing off. Queen Serenity smiles thinly.

"Don't worry, dear one. You were never meant to understand all of this," she responds. "When I discovered the Sun Kingdom's plans, I felt betrayed... By the Sun Kingdom, yes, but my husband as well. You know he was the Sun Queen's brother, yes?" She waits only a moment to see Usagi's nod of confirmation. "My marriage was nothing more than a fail-safe in their plan to unite the system... And a means to learn more about the Queens of the Moon. _You_, my beloved daughter, were a last resort. Do you understand why I was upset at that?"

Usagi nods after a long, thoughtful moment, her lower lip pulled pensively between her upper and lower teeth.

"I wasn't correct in my reaction though. In turning on the Sun as I did, I forced them to betray all of us. I violated the laws governing the Crystals and their power to influence Fate. There are many things that could've been done differently. Queen Dawn should have trusted me as her sister to help this plan come to fruition but I should not have violated the Treaty of the Silver Millennium, and interfered in the politics of the Sun and Golden Kingdoms."

"But what about what Thuban and Alrai said about their Princess? Did Hotaru -" Usagi trails off, unwilling to voice the reprehensible thought.

The queen looks pained, but answers with a grimace, "Their accusation is true. I sent Princess Rhea to fulfill the order to ensure that you would be queen of both kingdoms... If I had not, perhaps the war could've been avoided. The Golden Kingdom knew, as I did not, that if Endymion did not marry the Sun Princess, then he would not be their king. I thought, without Persephone, the Earth would join the Moon Kingdom upon your marriage, and the Sun would not have a chance for at least two generations more to merge in, unless Queen Dawn named _you_ her heir over her daughter. It was ambitious, but feasible... However, the death of Persephone started the revolt on earth, lead by Beryl and Metallia, and Queen Dawn was quick to ally herself with the Dark Kingdom."

"So how do I fix it?" Usagi asks, her voice edged with demand.

"Why would you want to do that?" Serenity retorts, and Usagi's eyes narrow in suspicion. "You have a peaceful future before you, the world is safe, and you're set to rule the whole system with Endymion at your side… Why would you want to change that?" the queen asks coyly.

"Because it's wrong!" Usagi insists.

"Is it?" Serenity asks, her eyes gleaming shrewdly. "Even the Sun Princess would admit that she didn't know how Endymion felt. Wouldn't it be kinder to her to not get her hopes up? After all, all he has is a memory of an arranged engagement that didn't even come to fruition... You and he have had years together..."

"He should be free to make his own choice!" Usagi persists, much to Serenity's annoyance.

She waves her daughter's words away with a dismissive hand. "Even if you did focus long enough to master the Silver Crystal and break the spell, why wouldn't he chose you, my dear? It's your destiny."

Usagi's face hardens to an unforgiving mask. "A destiny you made, _Mother_," she snarls. "What if _I_ choose someone else?"

* * *

"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

"SUBMARINE VIOLON TIDE!"

"SPACE TURBULENCE!"

"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"

Venus grimaces as the last of the youma vanish into motes of darkness, and relaxes her posture somewhat. Uranus and Neptune turn quickly to Venus, concern written in bold on their faces.

"Where's the Princess?" Neptune asks, almost demanding.

"She's with Ami and Makoto," Venus responds and both outer senshi breathe an obviously relieved sigh.

"Was Rizad here?" Mars asks, scanning the area around Tōkyō Tower with eyes half focused.

Uranus nods grimly. "That's why we were worried about the Princess. He said his intended target had appeared before he ran off. He's after the Silver Crystal, isn't he?"

"He's after both crystals, I guess..." Venus says, looking around as well. "Do you know where he went?"

Both outer senshi shake their heads. "He just vanished after dropping the beads that made the youma more powerful," Neptune explains.

"We did hear a pretty large explosion in the direction of the Azabu post office, but that's it..." Uranus adds. Venus and Mars exchange a look.

"We're going to investigate the explosion," Mars states.

"If it'll make you feel better to check on Usagi, she's at Makoto's apartment. I'm sure she wouldn't mind more company right now," Venus suggests. Uranus and Neptune nod and the fuku disappears in a soft shimmering of gold and sea-green. Haruka gallantly offers Michiru her arm and they stroll leisurely away, as though they hadn't been soldiers mere moments before.

Venus and Mars take off running, heading directly west towards the Azabu plaza along the tops of buildings. Even from a distance, they could see the damage to the buildings around their destination in the shattered windows and rising smoke.

The Azabu post office plaza is a wreck of scorch marks and rubble, with shattered glass half melted to the pavement. The pair split up, investigating the two major destruction marks of the area; the crater of a large explosion, connected by a blackened trench leading to another point with scorch marks swirling around it.

"I've got two different trails from here..." Mars says, getting up from her investigation of the crater. She had started there because it looked like a larger version of what Usagi had done when she was being controlled by the Princess.

Standing in the center of what appeared to have been a vortex of fire, Venus nods, her eyes closed. "I don't like this, Rei..." she admits quietly as the red senshi joins her. "We barely averted the end of the world when it was our own princess... How can we stop Dawn from doing the same?"

"You know it was her?" Mars asks, tilting her head to the side as though hoping to sense a confirmation from her surroundings.

"There's no one else it could've been," she replies in a matter-of-fact tone. "It couldn't have been Rizad or the senshi that attacked Usagi. Neither have the sort of power needed to cause this level of destruction. We know it's similar to what happened with Usagi, but it wasn't her either. The Sun Princess is the only other person who has such a powerful mystical item and could probably beat Usagi in sheer offensive power." Venus steps to one side, and gestures for Mars to take her place. "Stand there and tell me if you think I'm wrong..."

Mars waves the offer away, shaking her head. "I know that there were solar and terran senshi here. What I don't understand is that there's too much residual solar energy here to account for just Gemini and Sun. On top of that, there's different signatures beyond Gemini's light and Sun's crystal; fire, wood and healing... And there's a terran senshi we don't know about either. Usagi said Thuban used fire? Well she was here, and someone who uses water as well." She sighs, baffled. "The trails are solar and terran in one direction and entirely solar in another. Which do we want to follow?"

Venus considers a long moment, weighing the options carefully. "The terran senshi have no love of us, and if anyone knows how to cope with the Sun Princess, it's Gemini... Did the terrans go with Gemini and Sun?" she asks Mars, and Mars nods. "Then we should follow the other solar trail. They should be more Zodiac senshi. Worst case scenario, we find that they're as undeserving of being senshi as Kishi alluded to."

Mars agrees wordlessly, and starts leading the way along East Outer Garden Street. The trail takes them far from Tōkyō Tower, and almost to the edge of Minato district. Crossing Blue Mountain Street, a large park comes into view, and they espy four senshi making their way at a comparatively slow pace towards one of the many waterways. A shimmering of power tells the two lunar senshi that something is hidden along the shore of the waterway.

"There are four?" Venus asks Mars with a raised eyebrow.

Mars shrugs, as confused as her leader is. "I guess one of their signatures was masked somehow?" she suggests uncertainly.

As they near the retreating zodiacs, Mars and Venus note that white dominates the fuku of all the senshi. In the lead with a nacre shield across her back, is a white-haired senshi with light aqua green bows. Following behind her, slightly to one side and occasionally trying to push her way past the 'leader', is a red-haired girl with red bows, but the brunette girl with dark green bows in the rear keeps pulling her back into line. Staying close to the side of the redhead is a black-haired girl with grey bows.

Venus feels her blood rise in temperature as she watches the small group. A glance to her deputy shows that her feelings are echoed by Mars. These senshi had forsaken their duty, run away and left their Princess to the lone protection of Gemini, damning their Commander and Princess to death.

The lunar senshi draw closer to the zodiacs, and they begin to hear the zodiacs' raised voices.

"- _me!_" declares the redhead.

"Queen - _told_ you - _not_ hereditary..." responds the white-haired senshi calmly. "Gemini is the Commander and I'm her second again, Resa."

The black-haired girl and the redhead share a look that spoke volumes of what they thought of their so-called leader's statement. "_You?_ Second in command?! HAH! Callisto could beat you in a second!" Resa, the redhead, scoffs.

Venus doesn't hear the rest of Resa's derisive comments, her vision tinting an angry red as she adds blatant insubordination to their list of offenses. Belatedly, she notices Mars' movement to approach them directly - her Mars Arrow glowing red and in hand - and Venus moves quickly to flank the group, drawing her Love Whip as she did.

"So what do you think, Venus?" Mars asks loudly as she takes up a position behind the group of zodiac senshi, flaming arrow knocked and ready to fire. "Think Gemini would be more or less angry at us if we deliver her traitors to her doorstep?" Her question has the pleasing effect of silencing the four strangers. Eyes wide, they also stop in their tracks allowing Venus to step in front of them, her whip held at the ready with both hands.

"Tough call... I'd say 'less', myself, but she's a hard one to gauge," the lunar commander replies.

The white-haired girl stomps quickly with a thigh-high white boot on the redhead's red booted toe before snapping into a military salute. "Captain Diane Kaniseishin, Sailorcancer of the Zodiac Guard... Gemini sent us back -"

"Or you're running away from her again..." Mars retorts, skeptical.

Cancer's eyes turn hard with remembered anguish. "I never ran away from Gemini, or my duty to Princess Dawn. I was ordered out of combat due to injury in the line of duty. I make no excuses for my fellows here."

_"Endymion! You look like Hades itself!" Eve Kinsei couldn't help but exclaim upon seeing the Terran Prince debark from a battered shuttle._

_"The Palace was attacked," he responded wearily. "My Generals ordered the guard to stand down against any intruders... The royal family and the nobles staying at court were slaughtered," he adds, staggering slightly as he reached a bench. Minerva Kasei was quick to catch him under a shoulder to ensure he didn't fall too hardly upon the seat._

_"Why would the Shitenou turn on the Royalty?!" Minerva asked, aghast at the idea of any guardian forsaking their duty._

_"I don't know!" he nearly cried in anguish, feeling the betrayal keenly. "If it hadn't been for that Zodiac," he spat the term, "Cancer protecting me on the Sun Princess' orders, I wouldn't have made it to the shuttle."_

_"Why_ _would Cancer be protecting you on Princess Dawn's orders?" Venus asked quietly, mostly to herself. "The Sun Kingdom is allied with the Dark Kingdom and at war with you..."_

_"Princess Dawn is as crazy as her mother, sacrificing one of her own guardians to protect me."_

"You're the one that got Endymion out of the Palace when it was attacked! How did you survive? He swore the Shitenou killed you!" Venus asks with sudden respect and surprise.

Cancer smiles grimly, sensing that she'd earned herself some credibility. "They nearly did, and would have, if Prince Orion hadn't recognized me in time. My princess ordered me to ensure his safety, so I did. Gemini ordered me away from the war to heal... By the time I regained consciousness, the Sun had fallen, and my princess and my commander were dead."

Both lunar senshi felt a sympathetic pang, as though they were able to feel exactly as Cancer had upon discovering that all she'd known was gone.

"My mission, Lady Venus, is to take my team back to the Zodiac Court, and then return with the entire guard for judgement. Gemini said it was up to Princess Dawn, and that she would only enforce the princess' decision."

Venus looks over the Zodiacs' shoulders to catch the eye of her lieutenant. After leveling a disdainful glare at the redhead, who was fighting against the brunette's restraints of wood and obviously trying to say something through the gag of leaves, Mars joins Venus.

"So…" Venus prompts quietly while barely moving her lips, turning her head but keeping an eye on the solar senshi.

Mars does the same, and replies, "Do you believe them? Cancer seems to be a cut above the others, but what if Gemini _hasn't_ seen them yet?"

Venus muses on this problem before coming to a conclusion. "If she has, and we bring them back, then we'll have an even angrier Gemini on our hands. And if she hasn't… Well, then we don't have to tell her we saw them, do we? It's not like she'd believe us anyways." Mars nods in agreement, powering down as Venus puts away her whip.

"Okay… Get going, but if we find out Gemini hasn't issued those orders, your return trip will be greeted by Uranus and Neptune, clear?" Venus declares, much to Cancer's obvious relief, mirrored by the senshi in green bows.

Though the redhead fought valiantly against her bonds, and her companion in grey seemed apt to say something derisive and provoking, Cancer and her brunette ally nod. "Understood, Commander Venus, Captain Mars."

Venus and Mars watch them retreat with very different expressions. Mars notices her leader struggle to keep the crestfallen look off her face.

"What's wrong? We just learned more about the Sun Kingdom and the Zodiacs than we did before. Isn't this a good thing?" Mars asks, concerned.

"It is... but the bad thing is what it means," Venus replies somberly. At Mars' prompting look, she sighs and continues, "Think about it, Rei... Dawn sent one of her personal guard into a war zone to ensure Endymion's safety, and that was the _only_ thing she did after her engagement was broken."

She waits, watching Mars' face, hoping to see some sign of understanding, that Mars could see what she sees. As the confusion shows no sign of abating, Venus sighs in defeat before explaining. "It means that Dawn was in love with Endymion, and willing to sacrifice anything for his protection… While debilitated by depression, she ordered her equivalent of you to defend him at all costs. Now that Nichiko's here, now, with Dawn forcing her way to the surface, we know what she'd do to protect him from Rizad… Usagi may have destroyed the world, but Nichiko can and will get herself killed if it means Endymion's safety, and that'd be just as bad."

Finally, Venus sees the expression of horror on her face. "Because that'd leave the peace in Gemini's hands…"

* * *

Not for the first time, Mamoru wishes that he too had a communicator to call the senshi with. He paces around his bedroom, anxiously casting glances at his phone on the bedside table, hoping it would ring. He knows those earthquakes too well to doubt their origin, but he wonders at them.

'_I thought Usa-ko had control over the Silver Crystal now... She has for these last two years, hasn't she?_' he thinks to himself. The idea of Usagi reverting back to those hellish days disturbs and puzzles him. So lost in thought, Mamoru barely notices the soft flute music that floats to his ears from the other side of his apartment.

"Flute music?" he asks aloud, confused as the music gets loud enough for him to notice. Serenity played the lyre, and Zoicite plays the piano. Who played the flute that could get into his apartment? He grabs his cane from the closet and creeps slowly out to the living area.

He didn't know what he expected, but it certainly isn't what he sees. Sitting primly on his sofa, golden flute held delicately to her lips, is Sailorsun... Only terrifyingly different because she is also Princess Dawn. He finds himself wishing for the softer, sky blue and buttery yellow fuku which is presently blood red and gold, if only so that he did not feel so conflicted about their past. Nichiko always put him at ease, though that might be because she never talked about the arrangement between them. What would Princess Dawn have to say to him?

As though sensing his thoughts, she stops playing and her hands and flute come to rest in her lap, the golden instrument nearly vanishing against her like-colored skirt but for the ruby-like keys. Twilight blue eyes meet his, and he freezes in place. "Prince Endymion..." she says softly, with so many emotions that Mamoru couldn't hope to put names to them all.

"Princess Dawn," he responds, doing his best to maintain a neutral tone and hoping she would continue to remain calm. "What can I do for you, your Highness?" he asks, and the Princess smiles a sad, not bitter, smile.

"Ever courteous, even to intruders... Fret not, Prince, for I bear you no ill will. I did not come here to seek vengeance as a woman scorned," she states with quiet dignity. Even as his question forms on his lips, she stands, waving it away. "I have come here to offer my service as a guardian to you."

At first, Mamoru blinks, unsure of what the Princess could mean. Then, embarrassed, he says, "That's not necessary," thinking of the four stones presently residing in the room.

"The Shitenou are not here physically, Endymion. They cannot protect you from the threat that is upon us." Her calm words send a chill down his spine, unnerved. "Rizad intends to kill you, and I will not see that happen. He means to kill Princess Serenity as well, and I know you well enough to know that you would do everything to protect her. I cannot tell you to not do so, but she has her own guardians, and their first duty will be to protect her. You, my Prince, are a secondary concern to them."

"What about Gemini? Won't she be upset about you doing this?" he asks, hoping to dissuade her. While he may be confused as to Dawn's and Nichiko's feelings about him, he's completely clear on her sister's, and did _not_ wish to antagonize the lone Zodiac Guardian.

She smiles, gently waving the concern away with a gloved hand. Mamoru notices that no matter what is said, her smile never matches with the vague image he had in his mind of her past life, smiling at him. It's always too sad. "My sister is my own concern, and you should consider it a benefit to my offer, your Highness. Presently guarding me are two faithful friends and my sister, all of whom I happily trust with my life... I plan on having them join in my protection of you in my last act as reigning princess."

This time, Mamoru can't remain quiet. "What?! What do you mean 'your last act as reigning princess'?!" he exclaims, shocked. "You can't just give up your crown for my protection! You were born to be Queen Dawn the Thirteenth of the Sun Kingdom!" Mamoru is unsure how he knew the exact number to attach to her name, but thirteen sounds right.

"Endymion..." she says softly, tears shining in her eyes. He feels a stab of guilt as the look she levels on him reminds him of when he proclaimed his love of Serenity to her. "I was born to be Queen Dawn the _First_ of the _Golden_ Sun Kingdom. My court but one has abandoned me. I am weak. I have no right to be a queen."

Mamoru's mind reels with her declarations and he wishes he had more memories to work with than he does... but Ami's voice comes to him instead.

'_Queen Dawn conceived an heir only after she had secured the King of Earth's agreement to a marriage alliance._'

Ami had read those journals and talked of her former mother's thoughts with him at lunch today until Rei and Minako had called for a meeting to discuss what they'd learned from Nichiko's brother. The offhanded comment had not really registered as significant at the time, but now, on top of Dawn's current statements, it makes him uncomfortably aware that if he didn't do something, the young woman before him would throw everything away in his name.

Without really thinking, he drops his cane and crosses the short distance between them, arms open to pull her into a tight hug. "Princess Dawn Helios... I will not stop you from doing what you feel is necessary, but I will not let you give up your crown. You are no less worthy of being queen than I am of being a king. You are not weak. We will defeat Rizad. You don't need to sacrifice yourself to do so."

As he finishes speaking, he has to close his eyes against a blinding golden glow emanating from the the light fades, the satin collar that had been under his chin is a soft woolen jacket, and she sags in his arms. Mamoru quickly catches Nichiko before she can fall, and sets her on the couch he had found her on.

Sighing, he sits in the chair adjacent to the couch, and leans his elbows heavily on his knees. How could things have come to this? Here and now, staring ahead at the wall across the room, he entertains the first doubts about his feelings for Serenity, and hence Usagi. Was it really all because of a spell?

"I can't say for certain if it was a spell or not, but your eye certainly turned to Serenity very quickly after she was involved in the wedding planning."

Mamoru catches himself before he jumps at the sound of his old friend's voice. "Kunzite! Just who I wanted to talk to," he says with genuine relief. Even though Kunzite couldn't manifest on a whim, Mamoru is grateful that his confidant and advisor could appear before him now. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that one day, you're tripping over yourself because Dawn's due to arrive like normal, and the next all your attention was on the Moon Princess," the general responds bluntly.

"I tripped over myself for Dawn?" Mamoru asks, confused.

"Sweet Green Mother," Kunzite exclaims, "you could barely sleep the night before she was scheduled to arrive! When she was back at the Corona Palace, you were counting the days until she came back. Before the engagement was announced, you spent every moment possible with her. You and she were constantly in the wilds around the capitol, crawling over ruins, or taking tours of other parts of the kingdom! Afterwards, you couldn't focus until she had a free moment from the wedding plans for a walk in the gardens! Everyone was sure that the escape clause wouldn't be necessary! I tell you, if your love for the Moon Princess _wasn't_ solely the work of a spell, then the spell certainly turned your head faster than you ever would have without it."

Mamoru's gaze drifts from his friend to the unconscious Nichiko. Her face is softened, but still there's an air of sadness to it, as though even her dreams would cause her to cry as well. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" he asks, his eyes still fixed on Nichiko.

Kunzite chuckles drily. "Well first there was Beryl to contend with, and though I was the least affected by her, I had my own reasons for being very angry at you. Such emotions are hardly conducive to being honest. After we were reborn though, we fell under the Silver Crystal's spell and forgot about the Sun Kingdom and your sister, Persephone."

Mamoru glances to Kunzite only briefly before his eyes are drawn back to his slumbering guest. "Why do you remember now and I don't?"

"We were freed by Princess Dawn's use of the Star Crystal here. Unfortunately, the Star Crystal can only break the residual spell that we fell under upon rebirth, not the full spell that you and the Lunar Court are under. You'll need Serenity able to fully control the Moon Crystal to get completely free of it. For now, though, I'd use the Star Crystal's presence to recall your time with her... It should be easy to do right now with the flares of power from her Highness."

"But what about the Earth Crystal?" Mamoru asks, but Kunzite vanishes then, fading into the shadows of the dimly lit living room. Despite knowing that such consults had a time limit, Mamoru wishes that his guard could've stayed a little while longer, if only to answer his last question. His eyes catch on a glimmer of gold at her collar, and despite himself, he approaches Nichiko, drawn to the small sparkle. With a nervous hand, he brushes a lock of her hair back to reveal a small gold star pendant with a ruby set into the center.

It doesn't look like much, almost delicate really on a fine matching chain, but he can sense the power radiating off of the jewel. Like in intensity, that is where the similarities between Usagi's crystal and Nichiko's end. Usagi's felt more like a healing balm; gauze bandages, soothing lotions, cleansing water. Nichiko's reminds him of a fire; warm like a ray of sunshine in a grassy field, patient like the flames of a forge, and deadly like raging inferno. It holds life, creation, and destruction in its depths.

Fascinated, he reaches out - 

_"What are we looking for, Endymion?" asked the young, pink-haired girl on his arm. He knew her, and loved her... but knew that the intimacy was more from familial affection than anything romantic._

_"We'll know it if we see it, Persephone... It has to be perfect for her," he responded, eyes wandering from window to window in the crafters district of the Capitol._

_"Didn't you say the same thing about the engagement ring?" Persephone, his sister, retorted with a teasing grin. He waved the comment away, a little irritably._

_"That was mandatory..." He trailed off, eyes catching on a small jeweler's shop. Without a word spoken more, the guards around them shift. Kunzite stayed in front, while Asteria moved from her position beside Kunzite to behind the royal siblings and Zoicite and Themis peeled off from behind them to enter the shop. Enyo and Nephrite appeared from their hidden vantages, barely visible at the mouth of nearby alleys. It was a well-coordinated and rehearsed maneuver, and he and his sister hardly needed to wait before Zoicite gave the all clear._

_He caught Persephone shooting him a sidelong knowing look. "So this is supposed to be your own choice then?" she suggested, her tone equal parts amused and happy._

_"I suppose it is..." he admitted under his breath. His sister gave no indication of hearing his quiet confession as they enter the shop, and she peeled away from him to go look at some pretty boxes on display._

_"Your Royal Highnesses!" the shop keeper exclaimed, leaping to help the prince in his search. If something could indeed give the little man more pleasure than having his shop patronized by the crown prince and princess, then it was hearing that the object of their search was a gift for the Sun Princess._

_"Her Royal Highness will surely be a most beautiful and gracious queen!" the man proclaimed, gesturing for his royal guest to precede him to the more expensive merchandise. "Is it true that she wants to rebuild the old power stations?" he asked the prince, hopeful._

_"Princess Dawn has many plans to help restore our kingdom to its former glory, Master Artisan," he replied proudly with a smile, his eyes roaming over the pretty jeweled trinkets but none called to him. None announced that it went with silk the color of the autumn sky, eyes like twilight and glowing red hair._

_"Brother! Over here!" Persephone called, and, glad to have an excuse to leave the artisan, he answered his sister's summons. He came to stand beside her, staring down into a case of antique musical charms. The object of Persephone's gleeful cry of success is in the back, strung on a delicate gold chain and looking half-forgotten._

_"That? Oh dear! Forgive me, Highnesses! That shouldn't even be out. It needs a new music box. It won't play for anyone," the artisan stated fretfully. He waved the shop owner's concern away dismissively, keeping his eyes on the pendant as though it might vanish if he looked away._

_"I'd like to see it all the same, Master Artisan," he responded evenly. With great trepidation, the craftsman unlocked the case, retrieved the piece and handed it to the prince. He idly caressed the smooth metal, his thumb brushing against the lid. It flicked open without his actually intending it to, and the soft chiming of the Hellenic Waltz started to play._

_"It's perfect."_

"Perfect..." Mamoru murmurs, his fingers still lightly upon the star pendant which held the Star Crystal.

"Step away from my sister!"

His hand jerks, pulling abruptly away from the jewel. He could've cursed himself for forgetting that where Nichiko went, her sister would be able to find in short order. A sharp blade presses harder into his throat, though not quite enough to draw blood, and he belatedly realizes that Gemini has found the sword within his cane. He carefully stands, and the young woman - so like and unlike her sister still sleeping on his couch - keeps the sword positioned. "Polaris!" she beckons over her shoulder to the door, and a white-haired girl in a black fuku with a white collar and grey skirt comes in. Briefly, he wonders how they were able to get in, but discards the thought quickly. If the Sun Princess could get in without his knowing, then her guardians certainly could.

"I remember you..." he says, squinting at the new girl who was arranging Nichiko to be carried. "Asteria," he adds and Polaris stares at him in shock before shaking herself and picking up Nichiko. "You were my sister's guardian... Head of the Princess' guard, in fact... You were close with Kunzite..." he continues, rambling in hopes of someone filling in the blanks, but Polaris' gray eyes stay fixed on Nichiko as she slowly turns and walks for the door. "Please! Wait... I'm trying to remember!" he pleads, taking a step to go around Gemini after her, but finds his way blocked and the sword back at his throat, hate burning brightly in Gemini's eyes.

"Then remember _this_, Endymion... You broke my sister's heart, and you break it again every time she sees you. Your alliance with the Moon Kingdom lead to the assassination of your sister, your _faithful_ generals ordering the palace guard to stand down the night of the Tourmaline Palace Massacre, my best friend's near-death in your defense, and my brother's broken spirit," Gemini snaps with obvious loathing, backing away from him to follow Polaris out the door.

Mamoru desperately wants to ask questions about her accusations, but she leaves him no time in her verbal assault. "I don't care how many times my sister countermands this order, so until she does? Stay. Away." Then Gemini tosses the sword down the hall to his room and darts through the door, closing it and apparently locking it without a key.

Mamoru stares at the door for a long moment before his eyes trail along Polaris' path back to the couch. He reaches out and feels that the cushions are still warm. As he sits down on the couch, trying to absorb what little of her presence was left, his heart aches for blue silk, dusk blue eyes, and red hair.

* * *

_**Disclaimer:**__ Well... That took longer than expected. Many apologies. Usagi doesn't like working with me so much, and the Cardinal Zodiacs gave me a bit of trouble too. I'm sorry to report that I have no ETA on Chapter 12... Mostly because I know that I left you two different cliffhangers in this chapter. I hope that I'll be able to keep writing at a reasonable pace, but I can make no promises at present, as it's looking like I'll be moving at the end of the month, and Spring Term starts a week from this coming Monday (read: it starts on the 14th)._

_As usual, I own nothing but my OCs and the drama-riddled history I've given the universe. Most everything else belongs to Takeuchi Naoko-sama. Again, much credit and thanks to Sake1 for her infinite patience in helping me sort things out and to my mom for helping me make sure everything made sense._

_Read, Review, and Have Good Dharma,_

_Marina the Slytherin Shaman_


	12. Pt 12 Age of Aquarius, Libra Decan

"Just once… Once… I would love it if you could focus on something other than your erstwhile ex-fiancé. Do you realize how much Kishi and I have sacrificed for you? How Diane almost died following your orders?!"

Nikko listens to her sister's whispered rant with half an ear. It was all things she'd heard before in one form or another, in this life or the last. "Hikari… Please… We've had this discussion too many times to count. I'm not asking that of you anymore. There's no reason to," she responds, still keeping half an 'ear' on Kishi's thoughts as he had his date with Minako. Minako's friends, presumably the rest of the Lunar Court, are at a table at the other end of the outdoor café, decidedly more interested in the couple than noticing Kishi's sisters nearby.

"No _reason_ to?! Really, Nikko-nē-sama!" Hikari retorts, disbelievingly. "You're our Princess! You can't just tell us to stop doing our job! You can't quit being who you are!"

"Maybe not, but I _can_ cede the crown to another. By right of conquest, the Sun is under the rule of the Moon Kingdom, imouto." Nikko replies calmly. Hikari's eyes widen in both shock and horror.

"You wouldn't!" Hikari gasps quietly, unable to believe what her older sister is saying.

"You want me to give up the ghost of the Silver Millennium? Fine. Serenity's won. Let us throw ourselves upon the mercy of the Moon Kingdom, and pray they don't execute us for our mother's crimes." Nikko's eyes are hard, and Hikari still couldn't grasp that her princess would dissolve the work of a dozen generations.

"You'd do all this just for _him_?!" Hikari hisses.

"And what you would know about _love_?!" Nikko demands at a low volume. "You're so obsessed with protecting me, I doubt you've ever _looked_ at a man but to assess him as a potential threat!"

Hikari's jaw drops, momentarily stunned before her eyes narrow and her lips move as though to respond. Whatever sharp retort about to issue forth is cut off by an explosion rocking the street and surrounding buildings, followed by screams. Their disagreement is promptly cast aside as they dive under their table to avoid the crush of those running inside for cover.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, little Moon Rabbit!"

Nikko's blood chills at the sound of Rizad's familiar and singsong voice, and unconsciously, her hand goes to her throat, fingers caressing the gold and ruby pendant. In a flash of brilliant sunlight, Sun darts from cover to enter the fray. Gemini is mere moments behind Sun, having sensed her sister's intentions to protect the Moon Princess and equally intent on preventing Sun from doing so.

Much to the combined relief of the sisters, the Outer senshi are presently absent from this particular fray. They spare a brief moment of mental inquiry when they see Kishi shining in gold-trimmed crimson armor in a defensive position near Venus, but they let it drop quickly, unwilling to argue with or question something which had spurred their brother to take up arms once again.

"ARCTIC FREEZE!" Polaris makes a timely entrance as one of Mars' attacks is deflected by Rizad towards Venus and Kishi, negating the fiery arrow mid-flight.

"GRAVITY SPIN!" Sun shouts, and Rizad could not avoid her assault, allowing Venus's whip and Gemini's laser attacks to feed into Kishi's sword and get through Rizad's major defenses. Jupiter and Mercury join the attack, but didn't have the benefit of a physical anchor in Kishi's blade, and thus Rizad redirects the electrified wave around himself. Sun's eyes widen as she recognizes the direction the deflected attack is going, and she throws her arms up defensively, calling out, "CORONA SHIELD!" to protect herself against it.

When the flaming shield dissipates a few seconds later, Sun is dismayed with the turn things have taken. Uranus and Neptune square off with Gemini and Polaris while disorder reigns among the Inner senshi as they try to decide whether to help the Zodiac and Terran Guardians, or keep Rizad from advancing on Moon.

Sun feels the crushing blackness creeping in on her mind again when a rose strikes the ground, imbedding itself in the pavement and magically bringing the whole fight to a standstill. Though no longer in danger of reverting to her past life, Sun is still incapacitated by the sight of the flower and its thrower, lost in a whorl of painful memories.

She's dimly aware of her knees hitting the ground, jarring her neck painfully, and that the fighting has resumed but she can't bring herself to care. '_Please…_' she begs the universe, '_just end this now…_'

"PRINCESS!" Too late to heed her sister's warning, Sun looks up to see that Rizad had deflected Uranus' and Neptune's attack in her direction. She closes her eyes, thanking the Gods that they had answered her prayer… but the assault did not come. Instead, Sun finds herself inadvertently catching Gemini as she's flung back from taking a shielding stance before her.

This finally breaks Sun free of her catatonia, and she shakes Gemini's shoulder. "Gemini! Imouto! Get up!" Sun pleads tearfully, reaching out with her mind and finding only blackness in response. "No…"

No one has more warning than that as the flames begin dancing around Sun. "NO!" she screams, and a concussive wave of heat explodes outwards with a violent boom of thunder, felling all those around her and doing significant damage to the surrounding buildings.

As the lunar senshi pick themselves up from the rubble, they see that Rizad has vanished again, and Polaris and Kishi are hauling Sun and Gemini away.

* * *

_He watched his fiancée pace around the small anteroom anxiously with an amused grin on his face. _

_"What if they don't like me?" she fretted, wringing her hands. He could no longer help himself, and Endymion laughed, taking her hands in his and squeezing them reassuringly._

_"They already love you, Dawn, or did you think your desire to revive the former glories of Earth's past would stay a secret? You're just as much their princess now as my sister…" he said, unwilling to let her resume her fretting. "Here… I have something for you…" he added, pulling a small blue velvet box from his pocket, hoping to distract her from her nerves - and from his own, if he were completely honest with himself._

_Dawn took a long moment to run a finger over the velvet, her expression unfathomable as she realized the thought he'd put into even a box for a present. He knew, though, it was no ordinary gift inside. Part of him had said that it was a tradition he could scarcely forgo, but a small part of him had wanted to give her a ring to symbolize their engagement because she truly was special to him - as a friend, an advisor certainly. More than that, he was still uncertain, but he had a lifetime to find out._

_He cannot help but smile at her gasp upon opening the box, her hand delicately over her mouth still ajar, eyes fixed on the ring. Gently he takes the box from her and pulls the ring out; a delicate band of pale jade wrapped in swirling gold for both decoration and reinforcement of the fragile stone, crowned by a ruby cut into the shape of a blooming rose. Endymion didn't quite understand Dawn's fascination with the common flower, but she loved them and so he made sure a fresh bouquet was always in her rooms during her stays on Earth._

_"Princess Dawn Helios of the Sun Kingdom, would you do me the honor of consenting to be my queen and partner in all things?" he asked as he placed the ring on her finger. _

_Despite being sure of her answer, his heart still skipped a beat as he heard her whispered "Yes." He beamed at her, kissing her knuckles and meeting her gaze over her hand._

_An authoritative clearing of a throat made the royal couple spring apart as though they'd been caught doing something far more amorous. Dawn was blushing fit to burst into flames and Endymion was sure he was not much better as he turned to see Kunzite and Estella, both smiling smugly. Endymion directed a withering glare at his friend that only made Kunzite more smug, if that were indeed possible._

_"If you two are not otherwise indisposed, they're ready to announce you…" Estella said, unable to keep the amused tone out of her voice, earning herself a glower from her sister that also only served to make their guard more insufferable._

...

Mamoru wakes with a jolt, blanket tangling around his legs and causing him to fall from his bed to the floor. With a frustrated noise, he picks himself up and starts trying to straighten out his bedclothes. He flips the sheet, making the fabric snap and as it settles back to his bed, Zoicite comes into view, nearly making Mamoru jump.

"Master Endymion," the white-haired general says by way of greeting. "You're distressed…" he adds with a slight smile.

"Wouldn't you be?" Mamoru snaps, irritable and conflicted. "I'm getting pulled in different directions and no one can tell me how or why other than what they think happened in the past! I _know_ I love Usagi… but my memories are telling me that I loved Dawn. Whenever I see Nichiko, I always feel like there's some illusion I've been under and she's more _real_ than anything I've seen, but then when she leaves, all that remains is this feeling like I woke from a dream too soon," he rants, grabbing his pillow and mangling it in his hands.

"I keep getting flashes from before I met Serenity - like Dawn and Persephone - only they disappear as quickly as they came, leaving me with _nothing_ but a memory of a memory!" he finishes, tossing the cushion in disgust back onto his bed.

Zoicite flinches slightly. "Your Grace, I understand the pain you are going through. Truly, no one can tell you what you felt. I believe that the best way to keep the memories that are yours intact is to find the Earth Crystal."

"And that's another thing!" he rails on. "Kunzite didn't say a damned word about the Earth Crystal! I had to find out about it from Setsuna and Nichiko!" With an exhausted thud, he falls to his bed, sitting with his head in his hands. "I don't know where to even start. I'm suddenly lost when I thought the road was laid out before me; marry Usagi, rule Crystal Tokyo, have Chibi-Usa… All of that is now in doubt… "

"Our memories are improving as time passes, Your Grace." Zoicite bows slightly. "Time changes with our choices. Crystal Tokyo was not perfect. Chibi-usa was 500 years old but had the body of a child. Perhaps finding the solution to this problem, whatever you decide on will fix the problems in the future as well."

Folding his arms across his knees, he looks up at his general, any number of questions circling in his brain. "Rizad has the Earth Crystal, Polaris won't speak to me, Gemini and Thuban would rather see me dead, and I'm only a concern for Usagi's senshi because I'm supposed to be with her... Where do I start?" he asks, rambling.

"Persephone," Zoicite responds softly, an unreadable expression on his face. "None of those memories are tainted."

"I don't even know where she is, Zoicite." Mamoru retorts, an acid edge creeping back into his tone.

"Try the memories then," Zoicite shrugs. "To keep your mind from getting clouded with Dawn and Serenity. For the time being go back to do what you started off with, my prince. Investigate. Track. Find him yourself."

Mamoru thinks on this a long while, his eyes directed to the floor but focused on nothing. When he finally looks up to speak, his thoughts in some semblance of order, Zoicite has vanished as well. His expression turns sour, scowling at his general's inopportune timing.

He sighs in frustration, falling backwards across his bed gracelessly and throwing an arm across his eyes. '_How did I do things before I had the senshi to rely on?_' he asks in the confused chaos that is presently his mind. Taking a deep breath, he focuses on remembering how he'd started out as Tuxedo Kamen. Helpfully, he remembers the briefest flash of a memory, the one that had driven him to his search; the image of the Moon Princess begging him to find the Silver Crystal.

His sits upright, eyes wide open now. Of course… the dreams had driven his search, but could he control it? Pull the information he needed to the surface?

Taking another deep breath, he lays back down with his arms to his sides.

'_Show me my sister,_' he thinks, closing his eyes. At first, his request is met only with the blackness of his eyelids, but then an eerie blue fleck grew, and then filled his vision before a falling sensation jolts him upright again.

His surroundings are different now, though. Instead of the earthy tones of his bedroom, he finds himself in an airy living room, the walls a pale blue with silver, white and crystal accents in the furniture and drapery. He did not stay there long, walking down a hallway beside the silent senshi who had attacked him and Usagi barely a week ago. He jerks sideways and away from her, only to glide effortlessly into the wall to reveal a girl with bright green eyes and a shock of pink hair pulled into a bun.

Instantly, he recognizes her as Persephone, and the girl beside her is Themis of Alrai. Themis pushes open the door at the end of the hallway. Inside, Asteria of Polaris with a white-haired boy sit next to an unconscious Hikari, who looked more like her sister than ever as she lay in the bed, radiating a soothing blue energy that flows into the Guardian. Enyo looked to be rather uncomfortable between the remaining Solar siblings; Nichiko and Orion staring daggers at each other.

Persephone looks confused at the tableau, glancing between the Sun Princess and her brother. "What's wrong?" the Earth Princess asks, a tremulous tone of worry in her voice. Her question has an immediate effect, making both Nichiko and Orion explode in response, both turning to face his former sister.

"She can't get over - "

"You all just don't - "

" - your useless, Moon-struck brother!"

" - understand what it's like!"

Themis and Enyo close ranks quickly in front of Persephone, leaving her shut off as the the two Sun Kingdom royals resume fighting.

"Understand what, Nikko?! That you gave up because Endymion didn't love you back? You have a duty and you can't just throw that away! O-kaa-sama's intentions or not, you must rule the Sun Kingdom!" Orion thunders, raging in his sister's face.

"Duty?! You want me to go by duty, Kishi?!" Nichiko retorts hotly. "When was did it become Hikari's duty to stop loving anything other than my safety, and paint in her sleep!? When was did it become _yours_ to cook, tend flowers and _drink_ until the nightmares stop?!" she demands with no small amount of venom. Briefly, a flash of surprise crosses Orion/Kishi's face before he attempts to rally another argument.

Persephone shoves Themis and Enyo aside, wading into the fray. "That's not fair, Nikko-san! What can you expect from your sister?! She lost her husband when you had to leave!" his former sister explains, hoping to gain sympathy and only getting shock.

"And anyone'd get nightmares after inadvertently ordering the massacre of all the Golden Kingdom nobility…" Enyo adds quietly, but it rings like bells in the stunned silence, allowing Mamoru a brief moment to wonder who Estella had married that she'd been separated from by the war. His thoughts on the matter are interrupted when Nichiko starts speaking.

"Two years, Kishi… For two years and another lifetime, I placed my trust in the guidance of the two people I have never been without… I trusted you and Hikari with my life, my secrets, my hopes and fears, my _everything._" Nichiko's voice is even and low, but terrifying from the audible undercurrent of rage, making those in the room almost wish for the screaming by comparison. Though several inches taller than her, Kishi seems to shrink against the quiet onslaught. "I may have put myself in harm's way, even wished for death, but at least I never _lied_ about it, _otouto_," she adds, spitting his relationship.

Her expression changes like a flash, a dark shadow of pain and guilt damping the fire in her eyes. "But I guess that's my own fault, isn't it? I failed to win Endymion's heart, I failed to keep my court… It makes sense that I should fail also to have the same trust placed in me that I placed in others." Before anyone can move to stop her, Nichiko turns and flees from the room, and another door slams as she leaves the apartment all together. Persephone looks about ready to follow her but Themis stops her with a hand on the princess' shoulder and a slight shake of her head.

Silence reigns for a long moment until the glow around Asteria fades and she pulls away from Hikari with a sharp intake of breath. "Well… I've done all I- Wait, where's Nikko?" Asteria asks, looking at the long faces around her.

"She didn't know Estella married Kunzi-" Enyo starts, only to have her foot painfully stomped on by Themis.

Mamoru's focus wanders as Kishi starts asking questions of the Terran senshi, looking the way Nichiko had run. It's then he notices Themis staring at him. A sense of foreboding looms in his mind that had little to do with the scene that'd passed before him.

Blackness swoops in on him, and he hears Serenity and Dawn crying out in unison, "Endymion!" -

Mamoru jerks upright, breathing hard. His head whips around, taking in his surroundings and realizing slowly that he's back in his apartment. He gets up quickly, heading for his living room and grabbing the violet crystal from its sconce.

"Kunzite," Mamoru mutters through clenched teeth.

"Yes, Prince?"

Mamoru whirls around to see the summoned shitenou. "You _married_ the Sun Princess' _sister_?" he asks, both irritated and confused.

"Of course!" the general responds as though it were the most natural thing in the world to have done. Mamoru stares at him, expecting him to say something more, and Kunzite merely looks at his liege, baffled as to what more could be explained. "What?" Kunzite queries defensively. "You're looking like I sprouted another head and turned purple…"

"Because I didn't figure that cold, heartless bitches were your type…" Mamoru responds straight-faced while still staring at his friend. The temperature in the room drops a few degrees as Kunzite's eyes narrow and face hardens, giving the Earth prince reason to regret his hasty words.

"Let me explain a few things, my _prince_," Kunzite starts quietly, and Mamoru wonders vaguely if he'd learned the trick of making people wish you were screaming from the Sun Kingdom royals. "Firstly, this is _my wife_ you're speaking of. Secondly, you're talking about the Princess of Gemini, Commander of the Zodiac Guard and Lady of Light… And I'm inclined to agree with her," he continues, making Mamoru's jaw hang slackly open.

"Thirdly, did you at all think that maybe she became this heartless bitch _because we were separated_? There is only one person in the universe I would betray you for, and that is _my_ princess. Every day, we warred with the guilt of keeping our joy from the only other people in the world we cared about, of breaking the law and marrying before our charges and without their consent… Do you have any idea how much I wanted to throttle you for casting aside Dawn? It wasn't just because doing so had left your sister vulnerable and you and Dawn were a good match, politics aside…" Kunzite sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, and Mamoru leans heavily against the wall.

"So that's why…" Mamoru murmurs in stunned revelation, dragging a hand down his face.

"Why she hates you more than anything and why I wanted to kill you before? Yes," Kunzite finishes the prince's thought, his tone light and almost amused. Mamoru looks up sharply at the tone, worried, making Kunzite sigh again. "Master… Let us ignore the romance and marriage situation for a moment… This Rizad is out to kill you because you are the true master of the Earth Crystal. Until you and all of your blood are dead, he will always have a chance of losing it. That means Persephone's in danger, wherever she is…"

"With Polaris, Alrai and Thuban at Nichiko's apartment… Persephone's guard allied itself with Dawn's and Polaris and a white-haired boy were tending to Hikari - Gemini…" Mamoru interjects, causing a frown to cross Kunzite's face at the mention of Gemini. "She'd been injured protecting Nichiko…" he explains, rambling slightly, and the shitenou's brows knit together.

"Endymion… You need to get the Earth Crystal from Rizad," Kunzite says, almost scowling. "Not just for yourself and breaking the spell, but because you need to save your sister, the princesses, the Moon Court, the Sun Court, all of them… Even the very universe is in the balance. Make no mistake, if you fall, the rest will follow."

* * *

_**Disclaimer:**__ Again, it's taken me forever to get this chapter down. The fights between the triplets were hard, as was writing Mamoru. I hope that this nice chapter will earn forgiveness for me! Now that it's finally finished, I can get on with the climax of the story, because stuff just got very real this chapter, in case you didn't guess._

_As usual, I own nothing but my OCs and the drama-riddled history I've given the universe. Most everything else belongs to Takeuchi Naoko-sama. Again, much credit and thanks to Sake1 for her infinite patience in helping me sort things out and to my mom for helping me make sure everything made sense._

_Read, Review, and Have Good Dharma,  
__Marina the Slytherin Shaman__  
_


	13. Pt 13 Aries in the 8th House

Minako sighs, resigned as she presides over a gathering of the Lunar senshi; the subject of their meeting being their missing princess. When she'd broken the news, any and all semblance of order dissolved. Haruka and Michiru immediately called for the heads of all the Solar Court, with Makoto asking close questions about why the other princess' court would make an attempt while in such a weak position. Ami and Rei set to their various ways of tracking to find Usagi; Rei heading straight for the Great Fire, and Ami whipping out her minicomputer to scan for the residual energies of the Moon Crystal. Hotaru and Setsuna were the calmest, which made Minako seek their company.

"So?" she says, prompting their opinions while casting a sidelong glance at Makoto, Haruka and Michiru. "What do you think?"

"I think that I cannot say anything…" Setsuna says sadly. "Fixed points in time cannot be meddled with. The future is in the balance now, and it hangs on the events already in motion. I cannot interfere with how this turns out."

Disappointed, Minako turns to the youngest senshi, who shakes her head as well. "There are too many possibilities that make sense to see the path with what information we have. Our actions now determine the path before us, but it would be unwise to act on mere speculation."

Sighing again, Minako sags, turning to survey the meeting. Makoto had apparently run out of good arguments, and looks almost as livid as Haruka and Michiru. Hotaru's remark about acting on speculation strikes a new chord in the leader of the lunar senshi, and Minako opens her mouth to rebuke the rampant rumor-mongering going on in that corner when a familiar presence tickles the edge of her senses.

Despite herself, she grins, glad to have someone who could shed light on the whole situation and had proven trustworthy, and turns towards the stairs to the temple. Her smile falters as she sees Kishi, his face like thunder, flanked by three young women, only one of whom she recognized as Sailorpolaris from their brief encounter not more than two days before. She assumes that the other two are the senshi of Thuban and Alrai, particularly given the venomous expressions on Michiru's and Haruka's faces. Whatever anger the two outer senshi had for their visitors, it was far outmatched by the dark fury on all four faces.

Kishi's eyes briefly meet Minako's, and she cringes at the utter loathing she sees there before his gaze slides away. Her stomach makes an odd twist, bringing a sour taste to her mouth. Her heart clenches painfully, wondering what could have turned the sweet, quiet man who had so valiantly stood beside her, taking up arms for the first time since the Silver Millennium in her defense, into the terrifying general-returned now confronting them.

"You know… I was going to give you all the benefit of the doubt… " Kishi begins, his eyes hard with hatred. "I thought it might just be the old Queen that was to blame… I was _going_ to play nice, and see if things couldn't be mended, even if it had to be at my expense…"

The look he turns on Minako makes her feel as though she'd just had the air knocked from her. '_Was I just a ploy to make peace?_' she wonders in despair. '_Did I read too much into his extracting dates from Rei and I?_'

"But now? I'm starting to see that there _is_ no redemption for those who follow the Moon. I suppose resorting to prior tactics that have worked makes sense to some…" he finishes with a condemning glance at Haruka and Michiru.

Alrai, violet eyes ablaze and aubergine hair billowing in a nonexistent wind, steps menacingly towards Hotaru. "I spent lifetimes and millennia atoning for my failure to protect my Princess… And I will be _damned_ if I see another Princess fall victim to the same fate on my watch," she states, her voice quiet and yet full of vengeful promise. Thuban eagerly leaps to join her companion only Polaris stops her with an arm flung out in front of her, and Kishi reins in Alrai with a hand on her shoulder.

"Where is Princess Dawn? Or did your pet assassin take care of her too?" the white-haired leader demands with a barely visible sneer in Hotaru's direction.

Haruka snarls at Kishi, standing protectively between Hotaru and the menacing outsiders. "You think you can threaten us? You don't have an army at your back and we're not sleeping, you coward!"

Even as Polaris drops the arm stopping Thuban from leaping at the outer senshi, Kishi is already crossing blades with Haruka, both having drawn their swords. Spying a potential threat, Thuban changes course to divert Michiru from aiding her lover. Alrai circles the fighting, watching the other senshi and ready to stop any moves to interfere.

Polaris scans the group, eyes narrow with almost a smug expression, but it turns confused when the subject of her search is not found. With a purposeful, but not threatening stride, she closes the distance between herself and her Lunar counterpart. "Commander Venus, where is Prince Endymion?" she asks, her tone more neutral than before, but still guarded.

"I don't know," Minako responds, shaking her head to dispel the shock of all that had happened so quickly. "Why?" she queries.

"Because the true heir, Her Royal Highness, Princess Persephone has been found," Polaris replies coldly. "I thought it would be polite to inform him of his new status in person." She snorts slightly before adding, "And with the Shitenou gone, I suppose that makes him _your_ responsibility now."

Minako stares at her Terran counterpart, her eyes wide and jaw going slack. As she draws breath to start in on Polaris, a voice cuts through the roar of conflict.

"_YOU'RE ALL A DISGRACE TO YOUR UNIFORMS!_" Rei shouts, her voice ringing clearly over the din, bringing it to a halt. "Have you all forgotten your duty!? This is why everything fell apart before; because none of the three kingdoms fully trusted one another! Stop this stupid bickering at look at the bigger picture! Usagi and Seino-sama are _both_ missing!"

* * *

"Finally able to take revenge and who has to stay behind? _Me_… All because I have to keep watch on the Sun Princess' sister…" the white-haired boy snarls. Persephone watches as her friend paces back and forth irritably, wanting to offer some form of consolation to the young knight.

"One of you had to stay behind with me, Aelius, and Asteria doesn't have the same skill as a healer you do," she says quietly, sitting on the chair next to the sleeping zodiac guardian.

"Princess… Nothing pleases me more than serving you… But I can't just sit by while your murder is left to others to avenge, even if it is the rest of your guard doing so," Aelius grouses.

Persephone looks thoughtful for a moment before she smiles brightly at her protective knight. "You know… I don't have your skill, but I'm passible with healing, and no one knows I'm here… If you wanted to go catch up with them, you could…" she suggests cheerfully.

"NO!" Persephone rocks back at the vehemence in the knight's tone. "We are _never_ leaving you alone _anywhere, ever, again_."

Persephone looks down at her hands. "I do wish you would all stop blaming yourselves. It was my fault for sending you all off that night. I wanted to say goodbye to someone who never came. I won't let my guard down like that again, I promise. So please don't be so mad at yourself."

Aelius sighs, about to respond, when Hikari stirs with a quiet moan. Like a flash, he's at her side and his attention is entirely on his patient. As Hikari's eyes snap open, he places a hand on her shoulder to keep her laying down. "Stay still, Seino-san… You're in a rather precarious condition and injudicious movement could undo a night's work."

With a groan, Hikari stops resisting the healer's injunction, but not happily. "Feng-kun? Where…" she starts feebly.

With a wordless exchange of looks, Aelius keeps his hand on Hikari's shoulder as Persephone answers, "Everything's being handled, Estella… Orion's looking for Dawn with Asteria, Themis and Enyo…"

Despite being ready for it, Aelius is almost unable to keep Hikari laying down as she jerks against his restraining hand. "What?!" the zodiac demands fiercely, making Persephone shrink a little in her chair.

"After you were injured, Orion and Dawn had a fight and she stormed off. She never came back, and Orion was sure she was missing because he couldn't contact her," she responds, her voice quaking from not telling Hikari everything.

"Chou and Nana made a very good argument for who was at fault for Nikko's disappearance, and they've all gone to confront the Lunars," Aelius adds succinctly. Hikari groans, slapping her forehead and falling back against the pillows, making Aelius raise an eyebrow.

"The Moon Queen may have been a near-sighted idiot, but the Lunar court is not _that_ stupid. They know they'd have to deal with me if anything happens to my sister," she explains. "Which would you rather have in their position? My sister, who is the only thing keeping us in check, or me leading both Sun and Earth courts against them?"

"So who do _you_ think took your sister?" Aelius queries, in all seriousness.

"I would far sooner suspect Endymion's involvement, to be honest, Feng-kun," Hikari replies, almost calmly.

Persephone looks aghast at the idea even as Aelius nods. "I can't believe that… He loved Dawn. I was there when he bought the ring. We were sure he was going to marry. I had even allowed myself to..." Persephone's voice wavers. "I know sometimes our hearts make us do things despite our duty, but he loved her…"

Hikari sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Persephone-hime… That was before… Whatever affection he held for my sister was cast aside with her when he chose the Moon Princess. Spell or no spell, I have to consider that he might act against my sister in order to protect his precious mooncalf…"

"I know he ruined everything. But I don't think he'd do something so terrible. I… can't. If I think the worst of my brother then it's too…" Her voice shakes as she closes her eyes. "Things are too terrible. All of it. The war. The death. The corruption of the Shitenou…" Persephone stares at her hands, tears welling in her eyes. "I wish they were here… I wish my brother would use the Earth Crystal to bring them back…"

Awkwardly, Hikari reaches out to Persephone, placing a hand over hers. "I know… I wish…" She hesitates, unwilling to name the void in her heart. "I wish they were here too… But he can't… He doesn't have it…"

"What do you mean he doesn't have it?" She asks looking as if the idea he did was all that was holding the world together. "But he has to!"

"It was stolen," Aelius responds flatly. "That's why the Moon Queen," he trails off, visibly clenching his jaw and hands against the urge to violently maim and kill something or someone, "was able to gain so much sway over the prince and the rest of the Golden Court."

"Stolen by Rizad," Hikari adds, looking almost thoughtful, "who wants my sister… And all _three_ crystals!" Only his instinct for bad patients and quick reflexes allow Aelius to keep Hikari from leaping out of the bed, holding her down with both hands on her shoulders.

"_You_, Hikari-san, are staying right here with Persephone," Aelius says in a tone that brooks no argument. "You are unfit to go to a café for a quiet meal, never mind chasing after this Rizad to find your sister. _I_ will find Kishi, Yuki, Chou and Nana, and we will mount the search for Nikko… If you want to be able to return to duty, you need to heal. Didn't you tell Diane that, after Orion took the Tourmaline Palace? You trusted us with your princess, now we trust you with ours."

Trusting in the commander's sense of honor, Aelius departs without another word, leaving Persephone and Hikari alone.

"Orion attacked the palace?" Persephone asks, horrified, "and won?"

Hikari sighs, attempting to make herself comfortable without moving too much, but nods. "The Shitenou were to thank for that… They ordered the palace guard to stand down and surrender, but the nobility in residence resisted… And my brother's order was to kill any who did so… And the Dark Kingdom army took that rather literally."

"So my parents… Everyone…"

"Except Endymion… Dawn ordered Diane to protect him, nearly costing her life to help him escape to the Moon," Hikari confirms regretfully.

The Earth Princess remains silent a long moment, staring at their hands. "I can understand the appeal in such a move…" Persephone nods slowly. "I assume everyone died once things got going... I wish I had been able to do something. Even now."

"There are many things that could've been done differently, Persephone-sama," Hikari says, giving the princess's hand a gentle squeeze. "But it's no use lamenting those different paths. We have to make due with what has been done, and what we _will_ do."

"And what are we going to do? After Dawn-sama is rescued, I mean. Do we wipe the Moon Kingdom from this time? Do we move to cement the alliance of the Sun and Earth in… the other direction. I know it was a back-up plan Mother mentioned..."

Hikari sighs, closing her eyes against the visions of possible futures. "I suppose that'll be up to Nikko when she's returned to us... But the last thing she said was that the Sun had been conquered by the Moon..."

* * *

_**Disclaimer:**__ Well... That wasn't as long, but this chapter did have a fair share of stumbling blocks. _

_As usual, I own nothing but my OCs and the drama-riddled history I've given the universe. Most everything else belongs to Takeuchi Naoko-sama. My brother is owed credit for the knight of Polaris, San Feng (which is Chinese for Three Crazy). Sake1 is owed credit for her OCs of Persephone, and the sailors for Polaris, Thuban and Alrai, and for her infinite patience in helping me sort things out._

_Read, Review, and Have Good Dharma,  
__Marina the Slytherin Shaman_


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